Organisational aspects of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) work: lessons from the exhumation, examination and human identification of war graves in the former Yugoslavia (Kosovo). Ann. Med. Milit. Belg., 14 (4): 193-197, 2000.

Since the end of the civil war in Yugoslavia, the countries that have arisen from this conflict have been the scene of important forensic investigations in order to document alleged violations of human rights. For this, an International Criminal Tribunal was set up (International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia - ICTY). In 1999, a Belgian forensic investigation team was - at the request of ICTY - send to Kosovo to investigate alleged war graves. In the year 2000, independent forensic experts were contracted directly by ICTY to partecipate in a large-scale echumation project in Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo. The practical experiences obtained during these 2 DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) missions are described in this paper. The role of the different forensic actors is high-lightened. The importance of the multidisciplinary approach is stressed. The results of the human identification procedures of the Belgian team are presented and analysed.