As eyeWitness to Atrocities (eyeWitness) marks its tenth anniversary, the International Bar Association (IBA) applauds the work of the pioneering initiative it founded in 2015. The launch of the eyeWitness to Atrocities app for Android phones has harnessed the power of technology in the global fight for justice. The tamper-proof photo, video and audio footage captured using the eyeWitness app, and securely stored by IBA partner LexisNexis , meets the strict evidentiary criteria required to be admissible as evidence in legal proceedings.
Jaime Carey, President of the International Bar Association, stated: 'As we mark a decade of eyeWitness to Atrocities, we celebrate ten years at the intersection of technology, law, and human rights. This initiative reflects the IBA's unwavering commitment to justice and accountability, empowering individuals to ensure that the truth is not only seen but also heard in courts of law. As President of the IBA, I am proud of our member organisations that have dedicated vast amounts of pro bono work analysing footage captured using the app and I reaffirm IBA support for this vital work and its enduring impact on the global pursuit of justice.'
Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the IBA, added: 'Footage captured with the eyeWitness to Atrocities app is invaluable in securing justice and bridging the gap between activists and the law. By ensuring that visual evidence is authenticated, the app transforms raw documentation into legally admissible proof. In a world where impunity often thrives in the absence of credible evidence, eyeWitness plays a critical role in bringing truth to light and ensuring that justice is not just a distant ideal, but a real possibility.'
Over the past decade, the eyeWitness app has become an essential tool for human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations documenting grave human rights violations and atrocity crimes around the world. Key achievements include:
- more than 85,000 photos, videos and audio recordings captured using the app;
- more than 900 training sessions delivered globally, including in active conflict zones;
- more than 55,000 hours spent reviewing visual evidence;
- over 104 legal dossiers prepared and submitted to international accountability mechanisms, including United Nations bodies and the International Criminal Court
The impact of eyeWitness has been extensive. The content captured has contributed to numerous cases and reports globally, including:
- in 2018, when two commanders in the Democratic Republic of Congo were convicted of historical crimes against humanity including murder and torture;
- in Ukraine, where the Kharkiv Commercial and District Administrative Courts heard four cases in 2022 relating to compensation claims for damage to non-residential property and the destruction of vital financial documents;
- a case in the UK involving UK National Contact Point , where the construction company JCB's equipment was used in the demolition of Palestinian communities and construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank;
- regular evidence submissions to several UN Special Rapporteurs and periodic reviews before the UN Human Rights Council ; and
- contributing to joint reports on attacks Ukraine's healthcare system since Russia's full-scale invasion from February 2022:
Carrie Bowker, Director of eyeWitness to Atrocities, commented: 'The path from documentation to justice is not always straightforward, and as we mark this milestone, we are deeply grateful to the courageous documenters capturing critical evidence of atrocity crimes, to the law firms that provide invaluable pro bono support and to LexisNexis for securely storing footage captured with the app. We aim to continue connecting frontline documenters with legal and investigative bodies that can act on the evidence they collect.'
In a 2023 outcome report the eyeWitness organisation highlighted areas of work including significant footage collection; increased and strengthened partnerships with global human rights organisations dedicated to active documentation for accountability; and expanded pro bono assistance in reviewing and analysing collected footage.
