interviewer’s response can be communicated through his or her body language,
as well as his or her words;
The interviewer should exercise control over their own emotional reactions to
the respondent’s experience and make clear that it is the issue—not the
respondent—that is causing them discomfort;
Do not hug or otherwise touch the respondent. Interviewers should keep in mind
that, while they should be sympathetic, it is not their job to counsel or treat
respondents.
4. After the interview
After the interview, the interviewer should prepare complete notes on the interview
as soon as possible, ideally within twenty-four hours of the interview. They should
go back to the list of issues that the questions were constructed to address, and try
to determine how the information obtained during the interview is relevant.
When evaluating the reliability of the information obtained during an interview, the
interviewer should give weight to the demeanor and overall credibility of the
witness, keeping in mind that the nature of the issues being discussed (discussed in
Section 2.3) and cultural differences may cause the respondent difficulty in
communicating.31 Issues of trauma and culture may prevent a respondent from
being assertive or clear in their testimony, or from communicating in a very direct
way with the interviewer. Careful consideration should therefore be given to how a
respondent’s manner affects their credibility.
If the interviewer does not believe a respondent’s account, he or she should
explain why, although it is not uncommon to be unsure about a respondent’s
credibility. In some cases, it may be necessary to discard all or part of an
interview. Before this happens, each interview should be subject to an internal
review process based on the documentation team’s notes and observations
leading to a consensus within the team as to whether any part of an interview
should be discarded.
III. Collecting evidence
Documentation teams may find that, in the course of conducting interviews, they are
able to collect evidence, either from the site of the interview or by following up with
appropriate institutions, such as prisons or hospitals, that helps to establish the
existence of human rights abuses.
The most valuable kind of evidence is primary or direct evidence, which, if true,
establishes the event or fact in question. The testimony of witnesses and victims that
is recorded in an interview is a form of direct evidence.
Indirect evidence, which tends to support that the event in question occurred, is
also an important form of evidence. Indirect evidence may corroborate testimony
captured in interviews, such as medical records that support statements that a
person was mistreated. Additionally, indirect evidence may give rise to an inference
that supports the existence of the event in question, such as, bullet casings or bomb
fragments found near a victim’s home.
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