A Study of Computer-Mediated Evidence in Cases of Human Rights Violations

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

General Audience Summary This research project is a case study of computer technologies and forensic science of an episode that shaped the pursuit of truth and justice in Chile in the aftermath of human rights crimes. It will use historical methods to study how government officials, members of multiple scientific communities, and the citizens affected by human rights crimes made use of technology to make knowledge of an uncertain past definitive. The Chilean government attempted to advance public knowledge of the 3000 disappearances and murders that were committed during the repressive government of General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) by using computer imaging technology to identify the victims as part of the subsequent administration's efforts towards reconciliation. Computers and the images they produce have the power to persuade by creating representations that are perceived as objective. However, the precise meaning of these representations is subject to debate, even within relevant scientific communities. The proposed research provides an opportunity to study such kinds of data and practices in detail to see what they say about truth, memory, and power relationships. The investigator will disseminate her research results broadly in both English and in Spanish, and using open-access repositories, to provide important insights about human practices behind the creation of computer-generated forms of evidence, the effectiveness of government responses to human rights atrocities, and the role of science and technology in national processes of truth and justice. The proposed research will advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning through the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in the project and the creation of a new class on computer technology and human rights. To cultivate international exchange and form new research networks, the investigator will involve a Chilean graduate student in the research process and mentor his/her professional development. Technical Summary The proposed research examines the use of computer-assisted craniofacial superimposition, then a promising but controversial technique, to identify the bodies exhumed from an anonymous mass grave. Chilean forensic scientists used this method to identify most of the exhumed bodies, offer closure to relatives of the deceased, and advance government efforts toward truth and reconciliation. However, it later became known that these practices had resulted in the misidentification of nearly 40% of the bodies exhumed. By studying the relationship of particular forms of computer technology and forensic science to law, reconciliation, and justice, the proposed research will offer new knowledge about how nations address histories of mass atrocity and the effects these actions have on the broader citizenry. It also illuminates the ramifications of taking technologies for granted as purveyors of objectivity and truth in the context of human rights and the potential repercussions for historical processes and the lives of those most affected by human rights crimes. It will result in a rich historical study of the Chilean case and will use this study to develop analytical frameworks and methodological tools for thinking more broadly about technology in the domain of human rights work.