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12 June 2025
This year marks the 10th anniversary of eyeWitness to Atrocities. Launched in 2015 as an initiative of the International Bar Association, the eyeWitness app was created to ensure that powerful evidence of atrocity crimes could be captured and authenticated in a way that meets the standards to be used in court. The eyeWitness app securely captures tamper-proof footage with embedded metadata and maintains the chain of custody until footage reaches investigators.
Over the past 10 years, the eyeWitness app has become a trusted tool for human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society groups documenting atrocity crimes and serious human rights violations around the world. Some key milestones include:
After capturing valuable evidence, the path to justice can be unclear. eyeWitness aims to bridge this gap, connecting those on the ground with legal and investigative bodies that can act on the evidence they collect.
Jaime Carey, President of the International Bar Association, states: “As we mark a decade of eyeWitness to Atrocities, we celebrate 10 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.”
The eyeWitness app has been used around the world, and footage captured has played a role in a range of cases, reports, and submissions, including:
Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association, highlights the power of digital evidence in accountability efforts: “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.”
Carrie Bowker, eyeWitness to Atrocities Director, extends her thanks to documenters and all those who support eyeWitness: “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 us with invaluable pro bono support, and to LexisNexis for providing secure storage of footage captured using the eyeWitness app. ”.
eyeWitness remains committed to its mission: supporting those on the front lines of documentation and ensuring that what they capture can be used towards justice and accountability.
