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29 April 2025
©Ukrainian court cases rely on footage captured with the eyeWitness to Atrocities apps
Footage captured in Ukraine using the eyeWitness to Atrocities app has been relied on in four cases in Ukrainian courts, demonstrating the app’s value in providing verifiable, tamper-proof photo, video, and audio footage that meets evidentiary standards in legal proceedings.
Three cases adjudicated by the Commercial Court of Kharkiv in Ukraine relate to compensation claims for damage to non-residential property in Kharkiv. The fourth case, held in the Kharkiv District Administrative Court, relates to the challenge of a tax decision on the grounds that the bombing of the plaintiff’s office, which resulted in the destruction of vital financial documents and IT infrastructure, delayed timely tax reporting.
Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association, said: “The inclusion of footage captured using the eyeWitness app in these cases reinforces the importance of verified digital evidence in seeking justice. The eyeWitness app provides an essential tool for documenting human rights violations and war crimes, and we will continue working with legal bodies to facilitate its use in the pursuit of justice.” .
The eyeWitness app has been used in Ukraine since 2017 to securely document human rights violations and international crimes. Its use in the country has increased significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
To-date, documenters on the ground in Ukraine using the eyeWitness to Atrocities app have submitted more than 55,000 photos, videos, and audio recordings to the eyeWitness database hosted by LexisNexis & Professional – renowned for safeguarding sensitive and confidential material.
Carrie Bowker, Director of eyeWitness to Atrocities, stated: “Behind every verified photo or video captured with the eyeWitness app is a documenter risking their safety to preserve the truth. The fact that more than 55,000 pieces of evidence have been securely captured in Ukraine reflects both the scale of the crimes and the bravery of those working to expose them. The use of the eyeWitness app in these cases underscores the growing recognition of the importance of verifiable digital evidence in legal proceedings” .
Every piece of footage captured using the eyeWitness app contains metadata for the time, date and location at the point of capture, ensuring its authenticity to be used in court. For nearly a decade, eyeWitness has played a pivotal role in supporting frontline documenters in capturing footage of international crimes and serious human rights violations.
