level of knowledge and expertise that is required for understanding the
standards and types of evidence that are required, and the inoperability of
certain contexts where these violations take place. On the other end of the
spectrum, hopeful voices rightly identify the opportunity this increase in
civil society participation brings to document and investigate situations that
would otherwise not have been addressed and provide useful contributions
to the compilation of information on serious human rights violations.
This Handbook does not take a position on the desirability of citizen
journalism and unofficial investigators. Rather, given that this practice
occurs and that it has great beneficial value in principle under certain
circumstances when conducted in a safe, structured and appropriate manner,
this Handbook aims to provide guidelines and practical assistance to nonprofessional investigative activities to minimize the risks associated with the
documentation of human rights violations and maximize the probative and
evidentiary value of the information gathered.
This Handbook is meant to guide those who encounter information of
(or themselves witness) serious human rights violations when no official and
professional investigative authority is immediately available and a danger
exists that the information might become unavailable or deteriorate. This
Handbook does not, nor intends to, substitute legal, forensic, psychological,
medical or other training relevant to investigations. To the contrary, this
Handbook explicitly advises individuals to refer and defer to medical,
forensic, legal and otherwise qualified professionals to the extent
circumstances so permit.
Furthermore, and unequivocally, this Handbook sets clear limits on
what is ethical and possible to do when collecting information about serious
human rights violations without proper training and/or an official mandate.
This Handbook does not encourage individuals or groups to travel to
situations where serious human rights violations are taking place to
document them, unless a mandate is officially conferred upon them by
pertinent authorities. To the contrary, this Handbook is mainly conceived
for members of the civil society already present in the territory where
serious violations of human rights occur.
Therefore, due to the fact that the interval between the commission of
a crime and the deployment of professional investigators is key to the
preservation of evidence; that in countries and areas of turmoil, insecurity
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