Today, almost in real time, victims of war and crimes use mobile devices to film and photograph their experiences. We show how international investigators collect this evidence for criminal prosecution. All around the world, human rights activists, journalists and lawyers collect evidence of human rights violations – with the help of victims. Using mobile devices to film and photograph their experiences, they become digital witnesses. Amateur videos of bombs exploding, people being abused or even shot dead are distributed almost in real time via social media. Digital investigators use various forensic methods, from internet tracking to DNA analysis, to analyse and verify this deluge of images, supporting them with other evidence and scientific expertise. These criminological investigations have only one purpose: to bring to justice those who violate human rights. We meet investigative teams who use these cutting-edge technologies to document their research into the war in Ukraine, the destruction of Mali’s cultural heritage, the search for mass graves in Colombia and the “Black Friday” bomb attacks in Gaza. We witness the entire investigative procedure, from training and visiting the scene of the crime, securing and analysing forensic evidence, to presenting their evidence in court.
Hof International Film Festival, Germany 2017 Biberacher Filmfestspiele, Germany 2017 International Film Festival WATCH DOCS Human Rights in Film, Poland 2017 Cinéma vérité – Iran International Documentary Film Festival, Iran 2017
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. This includes i.a. the embedded social media, but also a tracking tool that provides us with information about the ergonomics of our website and user behavior. If you click on "Accept all cookies", you agree to the use of technically necessary cookies and those to optimize our website. See "Cookie Settings" for more information.
Control settings
Please select your preferences. You can change these at any time.
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. These cannot be deactivated, otherwise you will not be able to use all applications.
In order to make our website as user-friendly as possible, we have i.a. social media embedded on our website. This allows you to share content with your loved ones on the appropriate network with just a few clicks. We also use anonymous tracking technology, which gives us information about e.g. the user behavior, but also the effectiveness and ergonomics of our website. For this purpose, we also use services that may be based outside the European Union (especially in the USA), where the level of data protection may be lower than in Germany.