Investigations Program

We engage in innovative research to help ensure that investigations into violations of international law are as effective, efficient, and ethical as possible. For thirty years, we have collaborated with experts using forensic anthropology and genetic research to investigate war crimes and identify the disappeared using DNA analysis to reunite families with children who were abducted or given up for adoption during armed conflict. Today, we continue to set precedent with digital open source investigations. We train students and advocates to collect, preserve, and verify digital open source information of human rights abuses worldwide. We partner with leading human rights, legal, and news organizations, and – when possible – use the evidence we uncover to shape the course of international criminal law.

We train students at UC Berkeley to gather and verify digital open source information of potential human rights abuses to support professional investigations for leading organizations, including the United Nations, New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and countless grassroots organizations. Our Lab model has now been replicated at close to a dozen universities around the world. Beyond our university-based training model, we travel worldwide to hold digital open source investigation training programs for frontline human rights defenders, including civil society groups from Ukraine; journalists and human rights advocates from Libya; and Yemen’s National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights. Further, we hold regular trainings at The Hague in partnership with the Institute for International Criminal Investigations, where we train investigators from the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the International Criminal Court, among others.