Historical autopsy: A contribution to the investigation of State terrorism crimes in Uruguay

Abstract

Historical autopsy has been defined as the forensic investigation of the cause, manner and circumstances of a death bearing historical, humanitarian or judicial interest, based on the systematization and interpretation of the available information provided by documents and testimonies, when there was no direct access to the corpse or skeletal remains. Its purpose is getting closer to the truth or, at least, discarding some hypotheses or versions. Four paradigmatic cases of political violence in Uruguay that occurred in the 1970s are reported. In all of them, the historical autopsy demonstrated the falseness of official versions and significantly contributed to prove the criminal responsibility of State agents. Three of them correspond to deaths that occurred in the context of torture and the fourth to a military operation with multiple victims. In addition to contributing to court decisions, the psychosocial benefit of clarifying the facts surrounding human rights violations is well known from the perspective of humanitarian forensic action. As with any forensic investigation technique, it requires knowledge of both its scope and limitations.