Podcast: Using Open Source Investigations (OSI) in human rights litigation
In this episode, based on a recording of an online event from March 2, 2022, EHRAC Legal Director Jess Gavron talks to a panel of experts about the use of open source investigations (OSI) in human rights litigation. One week on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the discussion focuses on how Ukrainian and international civil society can harness OSI as a tool for current and future litigation efforts, outlining tools and best practice to use and challenges and risks to look out for.
Our panel:
- Sam Dubberley, Human Rights Watch
- Brad Samuel, SITU research
- Yvonne McDermott Rees, Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University; OSR 4 Rights
- Steve Costas, Open Society Justice Initiative
- Lindsay Freeman, International Criminal Lawyer; Director of Technology, Law & Policy, UC Berkeley School of Law Human Rights Center.
Resources/tools mentioned
Witness: Video as Evidence Field Guide
Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations (in particular annexe III: digital landscape assessment template)
European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation: Prosecuting war crimes of outrage upon personal dignity based on evidence from open sources – Legal framework and recent developments in the Member States of the European Union
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
Poland/ Belarus Border: A Protection Crisis (Amnesty International)
Articles mentioned
Finding the Signal in the Noise: International Criminal Evidence and Procedure in the Digital Age, Lindsay Freeman, Raquel Vazquez Llorente, Journal of International Criminal Justice, Volume 19, Issue 1, March 2021, Pages 163–188
Power and Privilege: Investigating Sexual Violence with Digital Open Source Information, Alexa Koenig, Ulic Egan, Journal of International Criminal Justice, Volume 19, Issue 1, March 2021, Pages 55–84
Open Source Information’s Blind Spot: Human and Machine Bias in International Criminal Investigations, Yvonne McDermott, Alexa Koenig, Daragh Murray Journal of International Criminal Justice, Volume 19, Issue 1, March 2021, Pages 85–105
Additional Resources, Tools and Training
- Q&A: Using open source investigations in human rights litigation
- Digital Witness: Using Open Source Information for Human Rights Investigation, Documentation, and Accountability
- Amnesty International online training course on Open Source Investigations for Human Rights
- Putting Principles into Practice: Mock Admissibility Hearing on Open Source Evidence (Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq_m2POiVdw; Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yVgbKTEtMM)
- Documenting During Internet Shutdowns: https://blog.witness.org/2020/02/documenting-during-internet-shutdowns/
