Humanitarian Forensics and the Disappeared: Oran Finegan on Dignity, Trust, and Accountability

LawPod host Dr Lauren Dempster speaks with Oran Finegan, director of Forensic Action International, about his 25+ years as a forensic specialist in humanitarian and human rights work across 50+ global contexts with agencies including the United Nations (UN), The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Finnegan describes beginning in Bosnia in 1998, where documenting mass atrocities underscored both the worst of humanity and the drive to return identities to the dead and support accountability. He emphasises building domestic forensic capacity, culturally and religiously sensitive practice, and trust-building through communication with families and communities, including collaboration with Islamic law scholars on field concerns like autopsy.

The discussion covers applications beyond conflict, migration and climate disasters, along with risks, underfunding, and political will. Finegan outlines humanitarian forensics as integrating dignity, system strengthening, and accountability, and shares his current work on planned recovery and analysis at Tuam in Ireland following findings linked to 796 deaths and commingled infant remains.