Helena Ranta

Meri Helena Ranta (born 11 June 1946) is a Finnish forensic dentist. She became well known as a result of her contributions to several international forensic investigations of conflict situations, such as those in Kosovo. She testified at the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević after her forensic work in the Kosovo village of Račak. She was also part of the investigation of the victims of the sinking of MS Estonia.

Ranta was part of the team that investigated alleged Israeli massacres in the Palestinian Jenin refugee camp.

In addition to her forensic work, she is a lecturer at the University of Helsinki, a rare case of a licentiate holding a post usually reserved for those with research doctorates.

Ranta has worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996–1997), Kosovo (1998–2001), Cameroon (2002), Peru (2002), Iraq (2004), Southeast Asia (2005), Chechnya, Peru and Colombia.