EyeWitness to Atrocities

eyeWitness to Atrocities (eyeWitness) is a legal charity founded as an initiative of the International Bar Association. With the eyeWitness app, users can record and submit multimedia evidence of alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and other serious human rights violations to a secure server for future use by relevant investigatory bodies. eyeWitness to Atrocities is headquartered in London, England.

eyeWitness App

IBA Executive Director Mark Ellis had the idea for the eyeWitness app following controversy around the validity of footage aired by BBC's Channel 4 of alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka in 2010. The app was developed to meet the evidentiary standards set by international justice mechanisms. Footage captured by the eyeWitness app is embedded with non-editable metadata confirming its time, date, and location, and then is uploaded to a secure server hosted by LexisNexis, creating a verifiable chain of custody. Information received by eyeWitness is reviewed by teams of pro-bono lawyers who tag and catalogue the evidence for potential use in any future investigations or proceedings.

As of 2026, the eyeWitness app is only available for download on Android devices.

eyeWitness to Atrocities reached a milestone of 100,000 items of footage captured using its mobile phone app, documenting potential human rights violations, war crimes and other international crimes worldwide.

Impact

In Nigeria, eyeWitness to Atrocities and the International Committee on Nigeria submitted an appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, the Right to Adequate Housing, and the Right to Food in 2025.

In Ukraine, documenters using the eyeWitness app have collected over 55,000 photos and videos since 2017. In 2023, eyeWitness and its partners reported that nearly 10% of Ukrainian hospitals had been damaged since Russia's full-scale invasion.

In the United Kingdom, footage collected using the eyeWitness app was submitted to the UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises in a case by the non-profit organization Lawyers for Palestinian Rights against J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited in 2020.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, evidence captured with the eyeWitness app helped secure the conviction of two commanders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in 2018.

Recognition and achievements

eyeWitness and its app were shortlisted in the 'Tech for Good' category of the 2022 and 2024 UK Tech Awards.

eyeWitness won the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) Prize for Innovation in Global Security in 2016.

eyeWitness to Atrocities has been awarded the Special Distinction in Technology in Support of Human Dignity at the 2026 Kluz Prize for PeaceTech. The Special Distinction recognises initiatives that demonstrate exceptional impact through the use of technology to protect and advance human dignity.

References

  1. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (7 June 2015). "eyeWitness to Atrocities: the app aimed at bringing war criminals to justice". The Guardian.
  2. 1 2 Rambolamanana, Vony (13 December 2016). "eyeWitness: When a smartphone could hold war criminals accountable". JusticeInfo.net.
  3. ↑ "About Us". eyeWitness to Atrocities.
  4. 1 2 Lowe, Rebecca. "Witnessing atrocity". IBA Global Insight. June/July 2015: 37-41.
  5. ↑ Pelly, Michael (22 March 2022). "Lawyer app helps build war crimes case against Putin". Australian Financial Review.
  6. ↑ "Our Work". eyeWitness to Atrocities.
  7. ↑ "New app empowers civilians to capture evidence of war crimes". ABC News. 8 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "eyeWitness App Launches for Human Rights | LexisNexis Newsroom". LexisNexis.
  9. ↑ Stephen, Chris (2024). "The digital age has revolutionised war crimes justice" (PDF). Freedom From Fear Magazine. 19: 14-21.
  10. ↑ "Pro Bono Spotlight | eyeWitness to Atrocities". Stephenson Harwood.
  11. ↑ Gonzales, Mariana. "eyeWitness to Atrocities: the app that brings war crimes to justice". The Impact Lawyers.
  12. 1 2 Siddique, Haroon (25 July 2022). "Ukraine app captures thousands of videos that could help prosecute Putin". The Guardian.
  13. ↑ "eyeWitness to Atrocities - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com.
  14. ↑ "IBA-founded eyeWitness to Atrocities reaches 100,000 footage milestone, strengthening the fight for justice". International Bar Association. 30 October 2026. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
  15. ↑ "UN Special Rapporteurs press Nigeria to address alleged human rights violations in the Middle Belt". International Bar Association.
  16. ↑ Odunsi, Wale (3 December 2025). "UN urged to probe atrocities in Nigeria's Middle Belt". Daily Post Nigeria.
  17. ↑ Jayakody, Nadeshda; Bienfait, Isabelle (22 December 2025). "As Violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt Region Continues, Justice is Urgently Needed". Opinio Juris.
  18. ↑ "Documenting war crimes through the eyeWitness to Atrocities app: over 55,000 photos collected". Ukrainian National News (UNN). 18 September 2025.
  19. ↑ "Report: Nearly one in every 10 hospitals in Ukraine have been damaged by attacks since Russia's invasion". CNN. 21 February 2023.
  20. ↑ Reed, Tina (22 February 2023). "Ukraine's health care infrastructure withstands a year of destruction". Axios.
  21. ↑ Spiegel, Paul B.; Kovtoniuk, Pavlo; Lewtak, Katarzyna (25 February 2023). "The war in Ukraine 1 year on: the need to strategise for the long-term health of Ukrainians". The Lancet. 401 (10377): 622–625. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00383-5. ISSN 0140-6736.
  22. ↑ "UK Government body confirms that eyeWitness partners' complaint against JCB is "material and substantiated"". eyeWitness to Atrocities.
  23. ↑ "Initial Assessment: Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights complaint to UK NCP about JCB". UK National Contact Point Office for Responsible Business Conduct.
  24. ↑ "JCB to be investigated by UK Government body over evidence of involvement in Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians". BDS Movement.
  25. ↑ "DRC: Two militiamen found guilty of crimes against humanity". TRIAL International.
  26. ↑ "DRC: Life sentence for two FDLR commanders in South Kivu". TOP AFRICA NEWS. 25 September 2018.
  27. ↑ Sengenya, Claude (22 September 2018). "New technology used in Congolese trial for first time". JusticeInfo.net.
  28. ↑ "eyeWitness shortlisted at 2022 UK tech awards". eyeWitness to Atrocities.
  29. ↑ "eyeWitness app authenticating potential evidence of war crimes is shortlisted for UK 'tech for good' award". International Bar Association.
  30. ↑ "IBA app shortlisted for 'tech for good' award". Law Society of Ireland.
  31. ↑ "eyeWitness to Atrocities - Kluz Prize for PeaceTech". Kluz Prize for PeaceTech. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  32. ↑ "Kluz Prize for PeaceTech". Kluz Prize for PeaceTech. Retrieved 5 October 2026.