InForce.org.uk
Title
Inforce - International Forensic Centre of Excellence
Description
The Inforce Foundation began its inception in 2001 but was born out of the collective experience of a group of forensic specialists active in the investigation of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide since the mid 1990s. Between us, Inforce personnel have worked for, and with a multiplicity of national and international organisations (government and NGOs) initiating and undertaking such work. This growing body of expertise is set against the fact that approximately 203 million citizens, were unlawfully slaughtered by governments in the twentieth century; a number that is, unfortunately, likely to be matched in the first century of the new millennium.
Our approach to any investigation will be conducted according to relevant judicial requirements regardless of whether the over-arching mandate of the project is judicial or humanitarian. Investigations carried out under a humanitarian banner may retrospectively be required to provide evidence to a court in the context of future democratisation and/or revocation of amnesty laws. Further, we consider that any work carried out primarily for legal reasons has a moral responsibility to incorporate the identification of victims in order to allow survivor communities the opportunity to move forward with their lives and for reconciliation processes to succeed. This also allows victims to be buried in individual and marked graves in accordance with the principles set out in the Geneva Convention. To widen the remit of an investigation often requires extra resources above and beyond that available from the initiating authority.
Inforce has developed from a basis of support at different levels. We have Patrons from the main Abrahamic faiths each of which is involved in promoting inter-faith co-operation and peace. Inforce is fortunate in having Supporters who provide support and advice in their particular areas of expertise. These include: politicians, lawyers, forensic scientists, investigative journalists, media and communication, human rights activists and genocide scholars. We also have panels of Advisors who provide expertise in forensic archaeology, anthropology, pathology, crime scene investigation, international criminal and humanitarian law and who have developed standard operating procedures for field and laboratory work.
