In light of the conclusions of the third expert study released by the Attorney General's Office (PGR) and fire expert Ricardo Damián Torres, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) repeated its results expressed through comprehensive and multidisciplinary expert opinion given to the PGR on February 9, 2016, and its readiness and technical capacity to discuss and corroborate these conclusions through the mechanisms provided by the law.
Based on the conclusions released by Damián Torres, in the sense that more research is still needed to confirm scientifically whether it is possible to carry out the incineration of 43 adult human bodies, the Argentine forensic experts pointed out that this
"then implies that for the moment there is no conclusive answer from the panel of fire experts about whether or not the incineration of 43 students was possible on the night of September 26-27, 2014; therefore, for the moment, such a conclusion neither confirms nor denies the PGR's hypothesis."The EAAF explains that it is not explained if a large-scale event such as the one alluded to could be related to the event of the disappearance of the Ayotzinapa students, as the Attorney General's Office maintains, nor does it shed light on what it considers to be "a controlled, large-scale fire event."
The complete EAAF statement follows:
A PUBLIC OPINION
Mexico City, April 2. Regarding the press conference held on Friday, April 1, 2016, by Dr. Eber Betanzos, Deputy Prosecutor for Human Rights, Crime Prevention and Community Services of the Attorney General's Office (PGR), and the communiqué read by Dr. Ricardo Damián Torres in relation to the findings of the expert panel on fire dynamics, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) states:
Point Number 1 of communiqué read by Dr. Torres stated:
"Derived from various analyzes performed, it can be concluded that there is sufficient evidence, even physically observable, to say that there was definitely a controlled, large-scale fire event in a place called the Cocula Dump."
Against this, the EAAF wants to point out the following:
- The communiqué issued by the expert panel does not specify when (temporality) that large-scale fire could have taken place, if other fires could take place in the same location and if the event of a fire of such a large scale as the one alluded to could be related to the event of the disappearance of Ayotzinapa students, as the PGR maintained;
- Nor does it explain what is considered to be "a controlled, large-scale fire event".
a. As shown in satellite images for several years prior to 2014, there have been multiple fire events in the Cocula Dump that coincide with the main burning zone where the PGR and EAAF collected human bones and carbonized residue, among other elements. Similarly, in the subsoil of the Dump's main burning zone, the presence of compacted soil with carbonized waste, among other elements, was observed, indicating the existence of other fire events;
b. The EAAF has found no evidence in order to be able to link the various fire events to items collected at the site, establish what evidence can be linked to what fire event(s), or how many fire events there have been at the site;
c. In particular, the EAAF also found no evidence that could link these particular fire events to the night of September 26-27, 2014.
In that sense, this new opinion in order to contribute to the truth of the events would have to give an explanation for the issues previously raised. The EAAF respectfully requests the panel of experts to amplify this conclusion by suggesting how these questions might be answered.
Point Number 2 of communiqué read by Dr. Torres said:
Point Number 2 of communiqué read by Dr. Torres said:
"The collection of skeletal remains sufficiently corroborates the evidence and coincident among the forensic teams, both the Attorney General of the Republic and the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, which allows determining that at least 17 adult human beings were burned in the place."Through examination of several thousand bone fragments recovered from the Cocula Dump, the EAAF established the presence of a minimum number of remains belonging to 19 individuals; in its opinion, experts from the PGR's General Coordinator of Expert Services (CGSP) established the presence of a minimum of 17 individuals.
In the face of the very conclusions of the expert work in forensic anthropology, we point out the following:
a. The date (temporality) when deposits of these remains were made could not be established;
b. Nor could it could be established if the human skeletal remains were deposited all at the same time or in different events;
c. In addition, a lower partial denture was recovered that fit perfectly with a root and a jaw fragment, coupled to an upper partial denture that fits coincidently with the bottom. These elements clearly do not belong to the students from the Ayotzinapa Normal School since none of them had this type of dental arrangement, which thus points to the presence of the remains of other individuals in the Cocula Dump;
d. The EAAF also noted in its opinion that it was important to consider the context of the area where the remains were found, where in Iguala alone the PGR has registered the disappearance of about 300 people, the majority occurred in the last four or five years;
e. To date there is no identification of the remains of the 43 disappeared students performed on the remains that were recovered in the Cocula Dump. The only positive genetic results issued by the Innsbruck Laboratory match a sample coming from a [plastic] bag that, according to the PGR, was recovered from the San Juan River, Cocula.
In short, as we maintained in our opinion, for the moment, we do not rely on evidence about matching the human remains recovered in the Cocula Dump, or when they were deposited in that place.
Regarding Point Number 3: At the press conference it was asserted:
"We can establish an hypothesis about the conditions, amount of fuel, time and circumstances necessary for a mass burning of 43 bodies, as indicated in the [formal, legal] statements by persons arrested for these acts. However, only a large-scale test can confirm this possibility. The expert group has agreed to conduct further tests in the coming weeks in order to confirm scientifically whether it is possible to carry out the burning of 43 adult human bodies. The results of these tests will be disclosed in time."Point 3 then implies that there is no conclusive answer for the moment by the panel of fire experts about whether or not the incineration of 43 students the night of September 26-27, 2014, was possible. Therefore, for the moment, this conclusion neither confirms nor denies the hypothesis put forward by the PGR.
Based on all the above, the EAAF repeats its results expressed through the comprehensive and multidisciplinary expert opinion rendered before the PGR on February 9, 2016, and its willingness and technical capacity to endorse and discuss these conclusions through mechanisms provided by law. Spanish original