Documenting war crimes through the eyeWitness to Atrocities app: over 55,000 photos collected

More than 55,000 photos depicting the consequences of war crimes committed by Russians against Ukraine have already been collected in the eyeWitness to Atrocities application. This was announced by lawyer and representative of eyeWitness to Atrocities in Ukraine Dmytro Hladkyi during a briefing, UNN reports.

Experts determine that Russia's war against Ukraine is one of the most documented. At the same time, the scale of this war is so significant, the violations of civilian rights and the rules of warfare are so significant, that there is still a huge number of cases that need to be documented and that need to be further evaluated, both by the court and by society.

He said that in 2015, the International Bar Association (IBA) invented the eyeWitness to Atrocities application, and in 2017, it was launched for use in Ukraine.

The main goal of this application is to create audiovisual materials that can be used in the legal field.

The main difference from a regular photo is that photo and video materials created using the eyeWitness application are authentic, they cannot be technically faked, they create metadata that indicates the exact place where these photos were taken, geolocation and chronolocation. That is, where the shot was created and when exactly. Many civilians witness war crimes. People take such materials on their own phones, we see them in the media, social networks.

He noted that thanks to the eyeWitness to Atrocities application, a person who witnessed a war crime can not just take a picture for social networks, but do it in such a way that this photo will later be legally significant.

I know that currently there are already over 55,000 photos in the database from different parts of Ukraine, which reflect the consequences of war crimes committed by Russians against Ukraine. This is a significant contribution. I know that our law enforcement agencies have access to and request such materials. Also, such bodies as the International Criminal Court, Europol constantly request such materials to compile their profiles and conduct their proceedings regarding war crimes committed in Ukraine.

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Addition

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reported that more than 178,000 war crimes committed by Russian troops have been recorded in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine and the UN agreed to strengthen joint activities. The main focus of cooperation is on investigating international crimes and ensuring accountability for perpetrators.