Publications and resources

IICI Publications

Other resources

IICI guidelines on remote interviewing and PIAC-IICI webinar

IICI has developed a 13-page set of guidelines on remote investigative interviewing: IICI guidelines on remote interviewing (see here). The recording of the PIAC-IICI hosted webinar on this topic is available here (in English only).  Additional summary information about the guidelines, the PIAC companion publication and the PIAC-IICI webinar is provided a few paragraphs down, underneath the Arabic announcement (PIAC now is called the Justice and Equity Centre.).

Directives IICI sur les entretiens en distanciel et le webinaire organisé par le PIAC-IICI

L’Institut pour les enquêtes criminelles internationales (IICI) a procédé à l’élaboration d’un ensemble de lignes directrices de 13 pages sur les entretiens d’enquête en distanciel. Les voici dans leur version française, sous le titre Directives IICI sur les entretiens en distanciel. L’enregistrement du webinaire organisé par le PIAC-IICI sur cette question est disponible ici (en anglais seulement).

Directrices del IICI para las entrevistas a distancia y seminario web del PIAC y el IICI

El Instituto de Investigación Penal Internacional (IICI) ha elaborado un conjunto de directrices de 13 páginas sobre las entrevistas de investigación a distancia; aquí puede encontrarse la traducción al español: Directrices del IICI para las entrevistas a distancia. La grabación del seminario web auspiciado por el PIAC y el IICI sobre este tema está disponible aquí (únicamente en inglé)

المبادئ التوجيهية لمعهد التحقيقات الجنائية الدولية IICI بشأن المقابلات عن بُعد وندوة مركز الدفاع عن المصلحة العامة – معهد التحقيقات الجنائية الدولية PIAC-IICI عبر الإنترنت

قام معهد التحقيقات الجنائية الدولية IICI بإعداد مجموعةٍ من المبادئ التوجيهية في 13 صفحة بشأن المقابلات عن بُعد؛ وهاهي ذي الترجمة العربية لها: المبادئ التوجيهية لمعهد التحقيقات الجنائية الدولية IICI بشأن المقابلات عن بُعد.  يتوفر هنا تسجيلٌ للندوة عبر الإنترنت التي استضافها مركز الدفاع عن المصلحة العامة – معهد التحقيقات الجنائية الدولية PIAC-IICI حول هذا الموضوع (باللغة الإنجليزية فقط).

IICI’s guidelines generally discourage remote interviewing, but also set out guidelines for considering if and how remote interviews could be done ethically, safely, effectively and, in the case of victims or survivors, in a survivor-centric manner. The publication accentuates carefully developed investigation policies, procedures, threat and risk assessments and plans which specifically and in detail address remote interviewing and reflect the input of security, trauma and other experts as an absolute precondition for any remote interview. It covers human rights investigations, documentation, monitoring and reporting (including by NGOs, national investigation authorities, UN commissions of inquiry and other international investigation bodies) and criminal investigations concerning grave human rights violations and international crimes. The guidelines mainly concern investigations that take place in resource-constrained, conflict-affected or similarly challenging contexts and where the interviewer(s) is not in the same location as the interviewee. The guidelines have been developed with the help of experts on international and national human rights and criminal investigations; investigating serious crimes involving children; law; and psychology and psychiatry. These guidelines form a companion piece to the August 2021 publication “Restricted access interviews: a guide to interviewing witnesses in remote human rights investigations”, published by what was then the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (and now is the Justice and Equity Centre).  The PIAC publication addresses additional issues, and discusses some topics raised in the IICI publication in more detail.

PIAC & IICI co-hosted a webinar on this topic on 28 September 2021. Moderated by Daniela Gavshon, the speakers and panelists were The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, Erin Gallagher, Mohamed Kheir, Shuvai Busuman Nyoni and Philip Trewhitt. The webinar was recorded.

Tool for SGBV-investigation/documentation trainers: training materials accompanying the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict (March 2017 edition)

As part of a 2-year long FCO-supported capacity-building project on documenting sexual violence in conflict, IICI is publishing training materials to accompany the second (March 2017) edition of the FCO’s International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict (IP2, Protocol). It is an update of the IICI-prepared training materials which accompanied the first (June 2014) edition of the Protocol.

Written in English, the updated training materials comprise (a) guidance notes for trainers and (b) suggested (PowerPoint) presentations. Trainers can tailor the PowerPoint slides as they wish.

The set of guidance notes includes notes on module objectives, key points for trainers to consider highlighting during each module, the possible duration of each module, and, for some modules, proposed exercises. The set of guidance notes comprises 19 (Word) documents: introductory notes/ cover pages (1 document); 17 separate guidance notes (modules), ie, one for each chapter of the IP2; and a fact scenario for one of the proposed exercises (1 document). The introductory notes and 17 guidance notes are also available in a single, consolidated document (which, however, does not include the module-4 linked fact scenario, which must be downloaded separately).

The set of PowerPoint presentations comprises 17 documents, ie, one module for each IP2 chapter. They reflect the core content of IP2 and the guidance notes, but trainers would have to shorten, extend or otherwise tailor them as necessary.

The primary author of the updated training materials is Danaé van der Straten Ponthoz. Max Marcus and Gabriël Oosthuizen were the primary content advisers and reviewers. The updated training materials used the training materials accompanying the 1st edition of the Protocol (written by Niamh Hayes) as starting point. IICI is grateful to the FCO for supporting the development of this tool.

Guidance Notes:

Modules:

ICLS materials: International Criminal Law & Practice, Training Materials for: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.  Supporting the Transfer of Knowledge and Materials of War Crimes Cases from the ICTY to National Jurisdictions

ICLS (the NGO International Criminal Law Services) provided legal and technical training, advice and support in order to ensure accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.  ICLS’ Board of Directors dissolved ICLS with effect from 31 December 2013.  Elements of ICLS’ expertise were transferred to IICI.  Former ICLS experts, including some members of the ICLS Board of Directors, are now associated with IICI.  ICLS’ expertise on providing technical assistance, capacity-building and other advisory and assistance services to prosecutors, judiciaries, governments, inter-governmental organisations, international organisations and others in the area of international criminal justice now resides in IICI.  ICLS’ publications, and related intellectual property rights, also now belong to IICI.

Among the ICLS-developed publications is the 2014 published International Criminal Law & Practice, Training Materials for: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.  Supporting the Transfer of Knowledge and Materials of War Crimes Cases from the ICTY to National Jurisdictions.  It was published as part of the EU-supported OSCE-ODIHR/ICTY/UNICRI Project “Supporting the Transfer of Knowledge and Materials of War Crimes Cases from the ICTY to National Jurisdictions”.

Berkeley Protocol of Digital Open Source Investigations

Berkeley Protocol of Digital Open Source Investigations 

A Practical Guide on the Effective Use of Digital Open Source Information in Investigating Violations of International Criminal, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation

New guidance on investigating and protecting mass graves has been published by Bournemouth University in partnership with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation brings together legal rules, and informed practice to support those protecting and investigating mass grave sites.

Mass graves contain evidence that is essential to the realisation of truth, justice and perpetrator accountability. Effective rules and procedures for the protection, maintenance and investigation of mass graves are therefore vital. The Protocol brings together relevant legal guidance and the chronological processes of mass grave protection and investigation to support and inform practitioners. These could include government and state officials, legal personnel and forensic experts.

The Bournemouth Protocol is free to access here

The Protocol is also available in the following translations (see also project website: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/projects/mass-grave-protection-truth-justice)

Arabic

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_arabic?fr=sNmJlMzI0MjAyNzM

Bosnian

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_bosnian?fr=sZTJkZjI0MjAyNzM

Dari

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_dari?fr=sNDFlNjI0MjAyNzM

French

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_french?fr=sZGE5MjI0MjAyNzM

Georgian

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_georgian?fr=sMWE1ZDM0NjAxNjc

Kurdish

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_kurdish?fr=sYzk3NzI0MjAyNzM

MY Burmese

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_my_burmese?fr=sYTNiYjI0MjAyNzM

Portuguese

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_portuguese?fr=sOGE0NjI0MjAyNzM

Russian

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_russian?fr=sMzFhNTI0MjAyNzM

Simplified Chinese

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_simplified_chinese?fr=sMmRhODI0MjAyNzM

Spanish

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_spanish?fr=sYTdmZDI0MjAyNzM

Swahili

https://issuu.com/bournemouthuniversity/docs/mass_graves_project_swahili?fr=sNzM5OTI0MjAyNzM

New guide on investigating and mapping perpetrators in open-source investigations

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) in Sydney and the Human Rights Center (HRC) at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law have developed a ground-breaking guide to support investigation of international human rights violations.

Investigating Perpetrators provides practical guidance for investigators on how to use open-source data to comprehensively map potential perpetrators of human rights violations and related crimes. Understanding the structure of security forces, roles within various units and their location over time is a powerful tool to support accountability processes, including criminal prosecutions, civil cases, vetting processes and sanctions.

The guide sets out a methodology for collecting, organising and analysing the copious open-source information available regarding alleged war crimes and mass human rights violations. Investigators can use the methodology to create a powerful information map of parties’ activities through time and across geographic regions.

Open-source mapping can also provide valuable insight into time periods or locations where there has not been wide or accurate reporting of events, and where more investigations are necessary to address information gaps.

Access the guide here: New guide on investigating and mapping perpetrators in open-source investigations