Training for
The Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI) is an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation providing criminal justice and human rights professionals with the training and knowledge necessary to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide and the most serious human rights violations.
Our particular goal is modest, but indispensable: while we cannot change the political climate, we can train investigators to the highest standards, so that when the day of reckoning finally comes for the worst humanity has to offer, as it almost always does, the best of what humanity has to offer will be ready.
News
Pilot version of the Open-Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code (April 2025)
Developed by IICI and the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, the pilot version of the Open Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code translates the applicable principles and minimum standards of the Code into standards and practices for practitioners who…
Read more about: Pilot version of the Open-Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code (April 2025)Investigation of Drone Strikes
IICI is pleased to announce a brand new course on investigating drone attacks. The course is designed to provide specialist knowledge and skills to allow participants to identify, collect and utilise evidence in relation to drone attacks as part of a broader investigation into war crimes. The course will…
Read more about: Investigation of Drone Strikes2023 Annual Report
IICI is pleased to announce the publication of our 2023 annual report. In the last year, we trained people from 96 different organisations and 61 different countries. Thanks to all the trainers who take time away from their other jobs to help us.
Read more about: 2023 Annual ReportOur Regular Courses
Our courses have been designed and modified over the last 15 years on the basis of extensive consultation with experts in the field of international investigations. Our presenters have practical experience in investigations and prosecutions worldwide. Our training ethos is a mixture of theory and practice, with classroom exercises, roleplays and realistic field exercises conducted with the assistance of the Dutch military.
International Investigator Course
Our flagship two-week residential course covering the essential investigation skills for international criminal and human rights investigations, including: International Humanitarian Law; interview skills; witness management; crime scene documentation; analysis; weaponry; security.
International Investigator Team Leader Course
While national law enforcement and military bodies have their own training courses to prepare individuals for the significant leap to the team leader level, no such training is available on the international level, yet good team leadership is crucial to good investigations. IICI will be filling this void for the first time.
Documenting Scenes of War Crimes Course and Human Rights Violations
A one-week course covering skills required for comprehensive non-invasive mapping and recording of mass graves, torture sites and other crime scenes. The course covers documenting techniques including sketching and photography as well as threat assessments.
Open Source Investigation Course - Foundational/Advanced
The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law and the Institute of International Criminal Investigations in The Hague have partnered to offer two comprehensive open source investigation courses focused on the investigation of violations of international criminal, humanitarian, and human rights law. Course participants are trained on the methodology of the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations, the first professional standards and guidelines for digital investigations, consistent with the practices of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Both courses highlight the importance of ethics, resiliency, security, and legal compliance.
Investigative Interview Skills Course
A 1-week course covering cognitive interviewing skills, including planning and preparation, relationship building and managing information as well as the key considerations for approaching survivors/victims.
Analysis Skills Course
A 1-week course covering the intelligence and analysis process vital for international investigations, covering the intelligence cycle; direction, including tasking and objective setting; collection plans and sources of information; collation, including information management systems; evaluation, including the 4x4 system; charting techniques and hypothesis development; dissemination, including oral & written briefings.
Investigation of Cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) as International Crimes
A 1-week course covering specialist skills required for investigation of SGBV crimes and violations including: international legal framework; specialist interview skills; trauma awareness; witness management.
Financial Dimensions of War Crimes Investigations
The course is designed to provide specialist knowledge and skills to allow participants to identify, collect and utilise financial evidence as part of a broader investigation into war crimes or human rights abuses. It will be a mixture of presentations, live demonstrations and team exercises.
We also run a range of specially designed courses for governments, international organisations and civil society worldwide, as well as provide mentoring assistance on request. Read more.
