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[casi-analysis] Information relating to mass graves.



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Dr. Clyde Snow is the foremost forensic anthropologist according to many.  I am going to include a 
brief press release which relates to him and his work along with another web address.

My understanding is that a group that he either heads up or has worked with has recently turned 
down an invitation to go to Iraq, (october) to work on the mass graves there.  According to my 
sources they turned down the invite for various political reasons relating to the occupation.  
Apparently they will proceed with their work in partnership with the red cross/crescent.

This group of forensic anthro has taken a strong stand on their work, that it will no longer be 
available unless the victims families can be involved in the process.  Apparently they require 
therapists to be available and see their work as a vehicle for healing as well as for the 
prosecution of war crimes.

I also understand that Dr. Snow has published various books on topic which might be of interest to 
those who wish to take the time.

Roger Stroope

www.fas.org/news/iraq/1992/920304-218208.htm

www.austincollege.edu/visitors/welcome/news/snow.htm
Leading Forensic Anthropologist Clyde Snow to Speak at Austin College  First Latin America Forensic 
Anthropology Congress Meet
February 25, 2003 -- SHERMAN -- Leading forensic anthropologist Clyde Snow, known for his 
investigative work in international human rights violations and war crime tragedies such as those 
in Bosnia, will present a lecture, "Bones of Contention: The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the 
Investigation of Human Rights Violations," at Austin College Thursday, Feb. 27, at 4:30 p.m. in 
Wynne Chapel. The lecture is free and open to the public.  Joining Snow at the lecture will be 
Latin American anthropologists Freddy Peccerelli of Guatemala and Mimi Doretti of Argentina, on 
campus Feb. 24-28 to attend the first Latin America Forensic Anthropology Congress. Professionals 
from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela will gather to share ideas 
and experiences in their work with mass graves and analysis of skeletal remains in human rights 
investigations in their own countries and beyond. Many of the Latin American forensic 
anthropologists have worked together in Bosnia. In addition to Snow, other moderators and 
presenters for the week-long congress include Cristian Orrego, Chiliean molecular biologist and DNA 
and human rights specialist; forensic pathologist Hans Peter Hougen of Denmark, affiliated with the 
International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims; forensic anthropologist Maria Cristina 
Mendonca of Portugal; Manuel Balbona, clinical director of the Center for Survivors of Torture in 
Dallas; and Jose Pablo Baravbar, head of the Office on Missing Persons and Forensics for the United 
Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo.  Snow has been a pioneer in forensic law, biological 
anthropology, and human rights, and is the only full-time consultant in forensic anthropology in 
the United States. During his career he has served as a consultant in more than 2,000 cases 
involving the identification and determination of cause of death of skeletonized remains. His cases 
include the American Airlines DC-10 crash in 1979 which claimed 273 victims, the John Wayne Gacy 
murder case, and the Seattle Green River murders.  In 1985, as a consultant to the Simon Weisenthal 
Institute, he was a member of the international team of forensic scientists formed to aid in the 
identification of the skeletal remains of the notorious Nazi war criminal, Josef Mengele.  Under 
the sponsorship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Snow served as a 
consultant to the Argentine government's National Commission on Disappeared Persons in its efforts 
to determine the fate of thousands of Argentineans who were abducted and murdered by military 
"Death Squads" between 1976 and 1983 when the country was under military dictatorship. As a result 
of his investigations he was asked to testify as an expert witness in the trial of the nine Junta 
members who ruled Argentina during the period of military repression. He also was a consultant in 
the recent investigation of the 1921 Tulsa race riots.  Snow is a Diplomate of the American Board 
of Forensic Anthropology. He earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern New Mexico University, a 
master's degree from Texas Tech University, and a doctoral degree from University of Arizona. He 
has held many teaching positions throughout his career, including continuing positions at 
University of Oklahoma, Central State University, and University of Texas Health Science Center at 
San Antonio. He retired from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1979 where he worked for many 
years with the Civil Aeromedical Institute in Oklahoma City and served as chief of the Physical 
Anthropology Laboratory.  Snow serves as a forensic anthropology consultant with the Oklahoma State 
Bureau of Investigation; Oklahoma State Medical Examiner's Office; Cook County Medical Examiners 
Office of Chicago, Illinois; Illinois State Coroner's Association; Rhode Island State Medical 
Examiner's Office; Nassau County, New York, Medical Examiner's Office; New York State Police 
Forensic Pathology Unit; Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Argentina; and Simon Weisenthal 
Center. He has also served as independent consultant to law enforcement agencies, medical 
examiners, and private law firms in several hundred skeletal identification cases from more than 
thirty states and foreign countries.  Austin College, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church 
(USA), is an independent, liberal arts college of 1,300 students located 60 miles north of Dallas 
in Sherman, Texas. Chartered in November 1849, it is the oldest college in Texas under original 
charter and name as recognized by the State Historical Survey Committee.  Austin College recently 
was profiled in Lauren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives, ranked among the "Best 331 Colleges" in 
the Princeton Review, and profiled in the 2003 edition of Kaplan's Insiders Guide to the 320 Most 
Interesting Colleges.
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