Photo by Romy Elusfa

Forensic Investigation? PDF Print E-mail
Posted Tuesday, 01 December 2009

Commentary by Alan Davis



Photo by Romy Elusfa
Photo by Romy Elusfa
B
elieve it or not, this photograph (right) does not capture the Maguindanao crime scene. No, this picture actually shows the official recovery of bodies. This is forensic investigation SOCO-style. The photojournalist who took this, Romy Elusfa, a human rights reporting colleague has confirmed to us that this picture was taken during the actual and official recovery process.



It simply beggars belief.



2,000-year-old Romans buried in Pompeii who are nobody’s relations were afforded far more respectful treatment by archeologists than the victims of last week’s massacre.



Perhaps no SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) official at the site has ever seen an episode of CSI – but whatever happened to basic training --or even simple basic humanity?



The duty of SOCO is to secure the scene and recover and document evidence. It is not a race against the clock. And when we are talking about such an atrocity, a mass killing such as this, you cannot exaggerate the duty and level of care and attention needed.



The person captured in Romy’s photo is a victim twice over: First when he was killed and secondly when the authorities used a backhoe to recover his remains.



As well as being an affront to common decency, such a blunt way of ‘recovery’ will inevitably destroy evidence and therefore quite possibly impact on the future legal cases.



How stupid and unthinking can some people be?



Last Friday in Southern Mindanao – and before coming across this photo - I met with a forensic consultant who works for several human rights and legal groups and who was in Maguindanao as an observer. He told me that he had offered his advice as well as some expert equipment he had arranged to be lent by colleagues in Cotabato City. The authorities turned him down. They didn’t need his help.



Obviously: Who needs expert equipment and advice when you have a backhoe handy.



Let’s at least hope it was not the same digger used by the killers – but then who knows? After seeing Romy’s photo I think I can believe anything. Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project



(The author is the director of the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project and the Head of Asia of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.)