Join Amnesty International’s Digital Verification Corps (DVC) and Amnesty International Switzerland for a two-day event exploring open-source and other emerging methodologies for documenting human rights violations.
The event will take place on 8 October at the InterContinental Geneva and on 9 October at Westhive Geneva.
The programme offers a blend of workshops and panel discussions. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from and engage with specialists in war crimes documentation, technology, media, and accountability. Through practical workshops, case studies, and discussions, attendees will explore how open-source research, digital evidence, forensic methods, artificial intelligence, and other emerging verification techniques are being used to investigate conflict, human rights abuses, cyber operations, and other forms of harm.
The Digital Investigations Summit is a unique global gathering of universities and practitioners working on open-source human rights research. It aims to advance the field of digital investigations through networking, knowledge exchange, and skills-sharing sessions. The summit forms part of the annual meeting of the Digital Verification Corps, a global university network that collaborates with Amnesty International to support the documentation of human rights violations using open-source research methods.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Digital Verification Corps brings together students and faculty from the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Essex; the University of Cambridge; Universidad Iberoamericana; the Hertie School; the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights; and Bard College Berlin, all of whom contribute directly to groundbreaking investigations conducted by Amnesty International and its partners.
The event will take place on 8 October at the InterContinental Geneva and on 9 October at Westhive Geneva.
The programme offers a blend of workshops and panel discussions. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from and engage with specialists in war crimes documentation, technology, media, and accountability. Through practical workshops, case studies, and discussions, attendees will explore how open-source research, digital evidence, forensic methods, artificial intelligence, and other emerging verification techniques are being used to investigate conflict, human rights abuses, cyber operations, and other forms of harm.
The Digital Investigations Summit is a unique global gathering of universities and practitioners working on open-source human rights research. It aims to advance the field of digital investigations through networking, knowledge exchange, and skills-sharing sessions. The summit forms part of the annual meeting of the Digital Verification Corps, a global university network that collaborates with Amnesty International to support the documentation of human rights violations using open-source research methods.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Digital Verification Corps brings together students and faculty from the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Essex; the University of Cambridge; Universidad Iberoamericana; the Hertie School; the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights; and Bard College Berlin, all of whom contribute directly to groundbreaking investigations conducted by Amnesty International and its partners.
Schedule: 08/10/2026
11:15 - 12:10 PM
Following the Trail: From Bucha to Damascus, Tracking Perpetrators
In this session, Haley Willis will take participants behind the scenes of some of the most compeling investigations of recent years, spanning conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria. Drawing on real case studies, she will demonstrate how investigators use open and closed-source information to identify perpetrators, reconstruct events, and establish links between individuals, military units, and command structures.
Participants will gain insight into how seemingly fragmented digital evidence can be connected to uncover patterns of responsibility and support accountability efforts.
From tracing the actors responsible for atrocities in Bucha to documenting violations in Gaza and uncovering evidence related to the Assad government's actions in Syria, the session will highlight both the power and the limitations of open-source investigations in contemporary conflict reporting. Through practical examples, attendees will learn how digital evidence can be used to follow the trail from crime scenes to those who ordered, enabled, or carried out abuses.
Session lead: Haley Willis, visual investigations reporter
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
Participants will gain insight into how seemingly fragmented digital evidence can be connected to uncover patterns of responsibility and support accountability efforts.
From tracing the actors responsible for atrocities in Bucha to documenting violations in Gaza and uncovering evidence related to the Assad government's actions in Syria, the session will highlight both the power and the limitations of open-source investigations in contemporary conflict reporting. Through practical examples, attendees will learn how digital evidence can be used to follow the trail from crime scenes to those who ordered, enabled, or carried out abuses.
Session lead: Haley Willis, visual investigations reporter
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
11:15 - 12:10 PM
Adapting Verification Methods for the AI Era
As generative AI transforms the information landscape, journalists, researchers, and human rights investigators are facing new challenges in determining what is authentic, trustworthy, and evidentially sound. From AI-generated images and synthetic audio to increasingly sophisticated misinformation campaigns, traditional verification techniques must evolve to keep pace with rapidly changing technologies.
Led by Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist from the BBC Verify team, this session will explore how verification practices are adapting in response to the rise of AI-generated content. Drawing on real-world reporting and investigations, the discussion will examine emerging verification tools, methodologies, and workflows, as well as the limitations and risks associated with AI. Participants will gain insight into how newsrooms and investigative teams are maintaining standards of accuracy, transparency, and accountability in an era where distinguishing fact from fabrication is becoming increasingly complex.
Session lead: Shayan Sardarizadeh, senior journalist, BBC Verify
Location: Room Bern, Intercontinental Geneva
Led by Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist from the BBC Verify team, this session will explore how verification practices are adapting in response to the rise of AI-generated content. Drawing on real-world reporting and investigations, the discussion will examine emerging verification tools, methodologies, and workflows, as well as the limitations and risks associated with AI. Participants will gain insight into how newsrooms and investigative teams are maintaining standards of accuracy, transparency, and accountability in an era where distinguishing fact from fabrication is becoming increasingly complex.
Session lead: Shayan Sardarizadeh, senior journalist, BBC Verify
Location: Room Bern, Intercontinental Geneva
12:15 - 13:15 PM
Dust and Drifts: Environment as Witness to State Crimes
Drawing on his practice with Forensic Architecture and other research groups, Christoffer Horlitz explores how spatial methods are woven into human rights investigations. Where official state narratives obscure or deny, analysis of environment, such as wind and topography, opens new forms of evidentiary terrain.
Through examples from contemporary investigations into genocide in Namibia and drift-backs in the Aegean, he demonstrates how the landscape itself can be read as evidence, helping researchers reconstruct events, test competing claims, and establish accountability when traditional sources are absent, inaccessible, or contested.
Session lead: Christoffer Horlitz, curator and human rights investigator
Location: Room Bern, Intercontinental Geneva
Through examples from contemporary investigations into genocide in Namibia and drift-backs in the Aegean, he demonstrates how the landscape itself can be read as evidence, helping researchers reconstruct events, test competing claims, and establish accountability when traditional sources are absent, inaccessible, or contested.
Session lead: Christoffer Horlitz, curator and human rights investigator
Location: Room Bern, Intercontinental Geneva
13:15 - 14:15 PM
lUNCH
14:15 - 15:15 PM
Inside the Scam Compounds: Investigating Abuse and Exploitation in Cambodia and Myanmar
In this session, participants will go behind the scenes of Amnesty International’s research into scamming compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar, where human trafficking, forced criminality, torture, and other serious human rights abuses have become entrenched within highly restricted environments.
Participants will gain practical insight into the methodological challenges of investigating closed systems, including how researchers identify perpetrators, triangulate diverse sources of information, and build robust findings in contexts where direct access is often limited or impossible.
Beyond methodology, the session will explore the relationship between research and advocacy, examining how advocacy objectives help shape what is investigated, what evidence is prioritized, and how findings are translated into calls for action.
Through practical examples, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how rigorous evidence gathering and advocacy work together to drive accountability and advance human rights protection.
Session lead: Montse Ferrer, Co-Regional Director at East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Office at Amnesty International
Location: Room Berne, Intercontinental Geneva
Participants will gain practical insight into the methodological challenges of investigating closed systems, including how researchers identify perpetrators, triangulate diverse sources of information, and build robust findings in contexts where direct access is often limited or impossible.
Beyond methodology, the session will explore the relationship between research and advocacy, examining how advocacy objectives help shape what is investigated, what evidence is prioritized, and how findings are translated into calls for action.
Through practical examples, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how rigorous evidence gathering and advocacy work together to drive accountability and advance human rights protection.
Session lead: Montse Ferrer, Co-Regional Director at East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Office at Amnesty International
Location: Room Berne, Intercontinental Geneva
14:15 - 15:15 PM
Building the Record: Investigating the Improper Use of Crowd-Control Weapons During ICE Protests
How can open-source investigators document patterns of law enforcement violence during protests?
This session explores a collaborative investigation led by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center's Investigations Lab into the improper use of crowd-control weapons against protesters during immigration-related demonstrations in the United States.
Researchers will discuss how open source methods were used to identify incidents, weapons and law enforcement units; authenticate and analyze visual evidence; and build a record of potential misconduct across multiple cities and events. The session will also reflect on the challenges of documenting fast-moving protest situations, integrating interdisciplinary expertise, and translating digital evidence into findings that can support advocacy, legal accountability, and public understanding.
Participants will gain insight into how open source investigations can contribute to documenting protest-related abuses and strengthen evidence-based human rights reporting.
Session lead: Sofia Kooner, Investigations Lab, Human Rights Centre, Berkeley
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
This session explores a collaborative investigation led by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center's Investigations Lab into the improper use of crowd-control weapons against protesters during immigration-related demonstrations in the United States.
Researchers will discuss how open source methods were used to identify incidents, weapons and law enforcement units; authenticate and analyze visual evidence; and build a record of potential misconduct across multiple cities and events. The session will also reflect on the challenges of documenting fast-moving protest situations, integrating interdisciplinary expertise, and translating digital evidence into findings that can support advocacy, legal accountability, and public understanding.
Participants will gain insight into how open source investigations can contribute to documenting protest-related abuses and strengthen evidence-based human rights reporting.
Session lead: Sofia Kooner, Investigations Lab, Human Rights Centre, Berkeley
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
15:15 - 15:45 PM
coffee break
15:45 - 16:45 pM
From social posts to digital evidence: collecting and managing open- source content for judicial proceedings
The presentation will share lessons learned from building an open source investigation capacity from scratch and reflect on the management of open sources for online monitoring activities. It will also provide advice on key considerations for smaller organisations when sharing evidence derived from open sources with UN accountability mechanisms.
Session lead: Lorand Bodo, International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, Syria
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
Session lead: Lorand Bodo, International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, Syria
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
15:45 - 16:45 pM
Accessing open satellite imagery: A practical introduction to large-scale analysis in crisis contexts
This session will introduce participants to open-access satellite data : its key characteristics,
strengths, and limitations, and how it compares with very high-resolution commercial
imagery. It will showcase how to access it, outline available tools for processing and analysis,
and share best practices for combining it with other open geospatial data.
The session will focus on the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 imagery and showcase, through practical examples, how it can support investigative and humanitarian workflows. The speaker will demonstrate in Google Earth Engine a methodology developed to detect land-use changes in the Sahel using Sentinel-2 time series. The approach was used to identify the physical impacts of conflict in central Mali and produced village-level results that informed timely humanitarian response, despite significant access and security constraints.
Session lead: Laure Boudinaud, Amnesty International
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
The session will focus on the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 imagery and showcase, through practical examples, how it can support investigative and humanitarian workflows. The speaker will demonstrate in Google Earth Engine a methodology developed to detect land-use changes in the Sahel using Sentinel-2 time series. The approach was used to identify the physical impacts of conflict in central Mali and produced village-level results that informed timely humanitarian response, despite significant access and security constraints.
Session lead: Laure Boudinaud, Amnesty International
Location: Room Paris, Intercontinental Geneva
17:30 - 19:00 pM
Building the Record: Evidence, Documentation, and Accountability in Iran
This panel will examine the evolving landscape of human rights documentation in Iran, exploring the practical and ethical challenges of conducting remote investigations, working with sources at risk, verifying user-generated content, preserving digital evidence, and building reliable records of violations in highly restrictive environments. Panelists will reflect on lessons learned from documenting a range of abuses, including the Iranian authorities' response to nationwide protests, and discuss how new technologies and collaborative methodologies are transforming investigative work.
The discussion comes at a significant moment following Amnesty International's recent landmark investigation into the 2022 protests, published on 16 September, which documented crimes against humanity and identified patterns of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and the command structures that enabled violence by Iran's security forces. Against this backdrop, the panel will also consider how documentation efforts can contribute to accountability, including through international investigative mechanisms, fact-finding bodies, sanctions processes, and emerging opportunities for universal jurisdiction cases in national courts.
Welcome: Nadia Boehlen, Head of Communications, Amnesty International Switzerland
Moderator: Marija Ristic, Manager, Digital Verification Corps, Amnesty International
Panelists:
Raha Bahreini, Iran Researcher, Amnesty International
Friedhelm Weinberg, Director of Programmes, Mnemonic
Alexa Koenig, Director and Co-Founder, Investigations Lab at UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center
Location: Amsterdam-Londres Room, Intercontinental Geneva
The discussion comes at a significant moment following Amnesty International's recent landmark investigation into the 2022 protests, published on 16 September, which documented crimes against humanity and identified patterns of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and the command structures that enabled violence by Iran's security forces. Against this backdrop, the panel will also consider how documentation efforts can contribute to accountability, including through international investigative mechanisms, fact-finding bodies, sanctions processes, and emerging opportunities for universal jurisdiction cases in national courts.
Welcome: Nadia Boehlen, Head of Communications, Amnesty International Switzerland
Moderator: Marija Ristic, Manager, Digital Verification Corps, Amnesty International
Panelists:
Raha Bahreini, Iran Researcher, Amnesty International
Friedhelm Weinberg, Director of Programmes, Mnemonic
Alexa Koenig, Director and Co-Founder, Investigations Lab at UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center
Location: Amsterdam-Londres Room, Intercontinental Geneva
19:00 - 20:00 pM
reception
Schedule: 09/10/2026
11:00 - 13:00 pM
Documenting Cyber Operations Under International Humanitarian Law: Developing a New Methodologies
As warfare extends into networks and servers, civilians are already paying the cost — hospitals cut off from patient records, water systems disrupted, communities without power, emergency services denied. For this reason, the ICRC recently launched its new Digital Emblem to promote protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in cyber attacks.
Yet while cybersecurity researchers have built methods for tracing how an attack was carried out, no established methodology exists for documenting who was harmed, how severely, and whether that harm amounts to a violation of international humanitarian law.
Discussion will center on the complex open problems — how to establish an evidentiary link between a cyber operation and civilian harm, how to preserve evidence for accountability purposes, and how to document attribution in this specialized domain.
Session leads:
Fred Abrahams, Co-Director, Neier Centre, Bard College Berlin
Stephane Duguin, CEO at Protect.NGO
Location: Le Salon, Westhive
Yet while cybersecurity researchers have built methods for tracing how an attack was carried out, no established methodology exists for documenting who was harmed, how severely, and whether that harm amounts to a violation of international humanitarian law.
Discussion will center on the complex open problems — how to establish an evidentiary link between a cyber operation and civilian harm, how to preserve evidence for accountability purposes, and how to document attribution in this specialized domain.
Session leads:
Fred Abrahams, Co-Director, Neier Centre, Bard College Berlin
Stephane Duguin, CEO at Protect.NGO
Location: Le Salon, Westhive
11:00 - 12:00 PM
Organising and Storing Open-source Information: How to Build Evidence Databases
This workshop will explore digital tools and methodologies for documenting, organizing, and analyzing digital information. Participants will examine real-world case studies demonstrating how structured data management developed by HURIDOCS can support digital investigations. The session will also include a live demonstration of data collection, organization, and entry workflows, providing participants with practical, hands-on experience in managing information.
Session lead: Lucia Gomez Vicente, Programme Manager, HURIDOCS
Location: Dream Big, Westhive
Session lead: Lucia Gomez Vicente, Programme Manager, HURIDOCS
Location: Dream Big, Westhive
13:00 -14:00 PM
lUNCH
14:00 -15:00 PM
When Words Cause Harm: New Frontiers in Investigating Speech Crimes
Speech crimes present a growing threat during these times of global insecurity and rapidly advancing technology. This talk discusses the prosecution of speech crimes under international law. It draws on analysis in the forthcoming book Speech Crimes in the Digital Era: The Peace and Justice Initiative Guidelines, co-edited by Matthew Gillett, Vanessa Topp, and Richard Ashby Wilson. The book builds on the 2018 Hartford Guidelines on Speech Crimes in International Criminal Law, whilst also incorporating recent developments and insights, particularly in response to the growing prevalence of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI).
Session leads:
Matthew Gillett, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor), University of Essex Law School; Chair Rapporteur of UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Gregory Townsend, former UN Senior Legal Officer and international law expert
Location: Dream Big, Westhive
Session leads:
Matthew Gillett, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor), University of Essex Law School; Chair Rapporteur of UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Gregory Townsend, former UN Senior Legal Officer and international law expert
Location: Dream Big, Westhive
15:00 -15:30 PM
coffee break
15:30 -16:30 PM
The Human Cost of Exposure: Dignity and Responsibility in Conflict Documentation
Making conflict-related content available and visible online can help open-source researchers to identify violations of international law and facilitate accountability. At the same time, some of this content may humiliate or expose victims, causing significant dignitary and emotional harm to them and their loved ones. Drawing on a recent Essex University project, this session will explore to what extent this tension exists in practice, and how international law and open source practitioners can find the right balance between achieving accountability for crimes and protecting the dignity and privacy of those affected by them.
Session lead: Tatjana Grote, University of Essex
Location: Le Salon, Westhive
Session lead: Tatjana Grote, University of Essex
Location: Le Salon, Westhive
15:30 - 16:30 PM
Using Open-source and Geospatial Technologies to Locate Clandestine Graves in Mexico
Drawing on a novel dataset of georeferenced clandestine mass graves, built using a combination of open-source and geospatial technologies and covering five major metropolitan areas in Pacific, southern, and northern Mexico, we seek to explain and predict the spatial distribution of graves in the country's urban areas.
Session leads:
Jorge Ruiz Reyes, Research Associate, Violence and Transitional Justice Lab, University of Notre Dame
Andrea Horcasitas Martínez, Coordinator, Human Rights Centre, Universidad Iberoamericana
Leslie Salazar Jiménez, Researcher, Human Rights Centre, Universidad Iberoamericana
Location: Dream Big, Westhive
Session leads:
Jorge Ruiz Reyes, Research Associate, Violence and Transitional Justice Lab, University of Notre Dame
Andrea Horcasitas Martínez, Coordinator, Human Rights Centre, Universidad Iberoamericana
Leslie Salazar Jiménez, Researcher, Human Rights Centre, Universidad Iberoamericana
Location: Dream Big, Westhive
17:30 - 19:00 PM
Closing panel: The Next Frontier: The Future of Digital Investigations and Accountability
As digital technologies continue to transform how human rights violations and international crimes are documented, investigated, and prosecuted, what does the future of accountability look like? This closing panel will bring together practitioners, researchers, and academia to reflect on emerging trends shaping the field of digital investigations. From advances in artificial intelligence and open-source technology to evolving evidentiary standards and new accountability mechanisms, the discussion will explore both the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Drawing on lessons learned from recent investigations and accountability efforts, panellists will examine how digital evidence can continue to support truth-seeking, justice, and advocacy in an increasingly complex information environment. The session will conclude with reflections on the skills, partnerships, and innovations needed to ensure that digital investigations remain a powerful tool for documenting abuses and advancing human rights in the years to come.
Session lead: Milena Marin, Deputy Director Digital Investigations, Amnesty International
Location: Central Stage, Westhive
19:00 -20:00 PM
COCKTAIL BITES
Location: Le Foyer, Westhive