Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley

2021 student fellowship alumna Lucy Meyer has been awarded several awards from the Native American Journalists Association and the Society for Features Journalism for her piece published last December in The Guardian about missing and murdered Indigenous women and the lack of meaningful engagement and response by federal bodies created to address the chronic and devastating trend:

His daughter went missing at 16. But his fight was only beginning When a taskforce was put in place to tackle the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people, the testimonies of victims’ families were cut short

The Arabic version of the on Digital Open Source Investigations–the first set of global guidelines for digital investigations–is officially live! We've now published English, Russian & Arabic versions of the Berkeley Protocol, which sets minimum global standards for the identification, collection, documentation and preservation of digital evidence of potential human rights abuses and war crimes. Keep an eye out for the French, Spanish, and Mandarin versions of the Protocol coming out later this year, and stay tuned for upcoming in-person launch events!

Check out the Protocol, co-authored by Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law and United Nations' OHCHR, below:

Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations: A Practical Guide on the Effective Use of Digital Open Source and Information in Investigating Violations of International Criminal, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law The Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations identifies international standards for conducting online research of alleged violations of international criminal, human rights, and humanitarian law. The Protocol provides guidance on methodologies and procedures for gathering, analysing,....

Meta’s Oversight Board Recommends Major Advance in International Accountability In a recent ruling, Meta's Oversight Board recommends a protocol to balance considerations related to conflict-related content.

Join our team as an Assistant Director for our Fellowship Program & HRC Events! You’ll be responsible for running HRC’s fellowship program, and will be responsible for planning and executing events we sponsor / co-sponsor on and off-campus. Read more about the role and apply below:

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"Health workers in conflict zones are dealing with a triple whammy," said HRC research fellow, emergency physician, and UC Berkeley lecturer Rohini Haar in a new NPR Goats & Soda piece on the historic levels of violence and threats against health workers, care facilities, and hospitals in conflict zones last year:

2022 was the worst year on record for attacks on health care workers A new report from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition documents almost 2,000 incidents in 2022: "a shockingly violent year against health care, especially in Ukraine and in Myanmar."

Watching out for the watchers: How content moderators can stay safe from harm too | WebPurify™ Profanity Filter How do you stop the people who monitor harmful content from becoming harmed themselves? Alexa Koenig of the Human Rights Center shares her insight.

Participate | RightsCon Costa Rica Whether you plan to join us in-person in San José or online, we’ve put together guidance to help you prepare for your participation.

Don't miss our hybrid RightsCon session on Cyberwar in Ukraine, co-sponsored by Microsoft! Moderated by US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack and Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley Director of Technology, Law & Policy Lindsay Freeman, this panel will explore the roles, responsibilities & accountability required by international law in the cyber sphere.

Our panelists include John Hering, Senior Government Affairs Manager at Microsoft; Gavin Wilde, Senior Fellow with the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Francesca Bosco, Senior Advisor of Strategy and Partnerships at the CyberPeace Institute; and Talita Dias, Senior Research Fellow of the International Law Programme at Chatham House.

This will be a hybrid in-person and virtual event. Both in-person and virtual attendees will need to register for RightsCon; free and discounted tickets are available at the link below. Upon registration, participants can add the event titled, “Cyberwar in Ukraine: The Roles, Responsibilities, and Accountability Required by International Law,” to their personalized schedule. We'll see you there!

Will you be at 2023? On June 8, tune into our online session on using the Berkeley Protocol in Ukraine. This session will be moderated by Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley’s Research Manager Brian Nguyen, and includes panelists Nadia Volkova, Founder and Director of the Ukraine Legal Advisory Group and the Ukraine 5AM Coalition, and Roksolana Burianenko, Program manager of the Ukraine Archive at Mnemonic. This virtual panel will also feature a representative from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.

Please join us as we learn from our experts on how the was adapted and adopted for documentation, collection and preservation efforts in Ukraine.

Participants can register online for free by clicking “Free Online Ticket.” Upon registration, you can add our event titled, “Berkeley Protocol in Action: Successes and Challenges for Implementing Digital Investigation Standards in Ukraine” to your personalized RightsCon schedule.

This event will take place on June 8 at 6:45 am PST | 7:45 am CST | 9:45 am EST | 3:45 pm CET. We'll (virtually) see you there!

RightsCon Costa Rica registration is open! This post gives an overview of the registration options for RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023), including guidance on free and discounted tickets.

We're thrilled to announce our 2023 Human Rights Fellows! They'll be working on issues ranging from reproductive justice of Rohingya women, to the use of military weapons against incarcerated people in the US, to advocating for journalists globally, and much more. HRC's Fellowship Program is the oldest branch of our legacy; this is our 30th cohort of student fellows!

Mark your calendars! Our new guide with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre will be presented in an International Bar Association webinar on April 27. Learn methodologies to strengthen investigations and pursue accountability.

to “Using Open Source Intelligence to Map Perpetrators of Atrocity Crimes” today:

Using open source intelligence to map perpetrators of atrocity crimes | International Bar Association A webinar presented by the IBA War Crimes Committee and the IBA Human Rights Law Committee The field of open-source investigations related to IHL and IHRL has been progressing at a record pace over the last decade. We are seeing increased professionalisation and sophistication. The launch of this gu...

We're thrilled to announce that our Health and Human Rights Program under Program Director Julie Freccero has received a major grant to continue research supporting Bay Area youth at risk of commercial sexual exploitation:

How can we best support Bay Area youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation with safe and flexible housing options? Learn key takeaways from four rounds of research conducted over two years with Freedom Forward and San Francisco Department on the Status of Women in this blog by our Health & Human Rights Program Director Julie Freccero and Researcher Audrey Taylor:

Five lessons on housing for youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation By Julie Freccero and Audrey Taylor

Mark your calendars! Our new guide with Public Interest Advocacy Centre will be presented in an International Bar Association webinar on April 27. Learn methodologies to strengthen investigations and pursue accountability.

to “Using Open Source Intelligence to Map Perpetrators of Atrocity Crimes” today:

https://www.ibanet.org/conference-details/CONF2375

Using open source intelligence to map perpetrators of atrocity crimes | International Bar Association A webinar presented by the IBA War Crimes Committee and the IBA Human Rights Law Committee (2pm EDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST) The field of open-source investigations related to IHL and IHRL has been progressing at a record pace over the last decade. We are seeing increased professionalisation and sophis...

A video showing seven boys killed by security forces in Burkina Faso this February was verified by the Associated Press (AP) and reported out by journalists Sam Mednick and Michael Biesecker. Our own Brian Nguyen assisted with checking the video’s geolocation, mapping the locations of the bodies and the filmer’s path on the military base where the killings took place, and generating leads on military equipment seen on video. Graphic content warning, children's bodies are depicted in photos and video:

'We’ll kill you': Troops film boys' killings in Burkina Faso A video in Burkina Faso showing men in military fatigues walking among the bloodied bodies of boys with their hands bound surfaced on social media in mid-February. It shows a man slamming a rock onto the head of a 16-year-old named Adama as another man laughed. Burkina Faso has been wracked by viole...

Our March newsletter just dropped! Check out this month's program updates and opportunities, including registration for our , our newest Afghan scholar, two workshops in collaboration with Institute for International Criminal Investigations, and much more!

HRC's newest Afghan scholar, Open Source / Open House registration, and more Check out HRC's March updates! NEWS March 2023 Betsy Popken speaks at Berkeley Law's "Research and Impact Centers & Institutes" session during Admitted Students Weekend on March 16, 2023. Dear Friends

Article 19, AfroLeadership, UC Berkley HRC join GNI membership The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is thrilled to announce that ARTICLE 19, AfroLeadership and UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center have joined GNI as members. ARTICLE

We'll see you tomorrow at UC Berkeley School of Law with Center for Latin American Studies, UC Berkeley, and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for a screening and panel of from Quiet Pictures and filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz! Join us for an engaging panel and screening event exploring how the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team has unearthed the forcibly disappeared in Argentina and far beyond.

Come early for some complimentary pizza!

📆 TOMORROW (March 21)
⏲️ 6–8 p.m.
📍 Booth Auditorium (Room 175), Berkeley Law

https://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/hrc.html?event_ID=151725&date=2023-03-21&filter=Event%20Type&filtersel=

El Equipo: A screening and panel event on the Argentine Forensic Team's crusade to unearth the forcibly disappeared In 1984, a meeting between a group of Argentine students, legendary forensic scientist Dr. Clyde Snow, and human rights investigator Eric Stover would change the course of history. EL EQUIPO follows t...

“We are thrilled to join Global Network Initiative's membership to work together to protect free expression and the right to privacy around the globe,” said Betsy Popken, Co-Executive Director of Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley, which is joining GNI’s academic constituency.

Read more here!

Article 19, AfroLeadership, UC Berkley HRC join GNI membership The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is thrilled to announce that ARTICLE 19, AfroLeadership and UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center have joined GNI as members. ARTICLE

Join Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley at UC Berkeley School of Law with Center for Latin American Studies, UC Berkeley and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for a screening and panel of from Quiet Pictures and filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz. Learn how the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team has unearthed the forcibly disappeared in Argentina and far beyond:

El Equipo: A screening and panel event on the Argentine Forensic Team's crusade to unearth the forcibly disappeared In 1984, a meeting between a group of Argentine students, legendary forensic scientist Dr. Clyde Snow, and human rights investigator Eric Stover would change the course of history. EL EQUIPO follows t...

Now: Lethal in Disguise 2: How Crowd-Control Weapons Impact Health and Human Rights; a virtual event featuring lead author, Physicians for Human Rights medical advisor, and Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley Research Fellow Dr. Rohini Haar; Washington Postst journalist Shibani Mahtani; human rights activist Fatia Maulidiyanti; activist Alejandro Rodríguez; and attorney Anne Suciu.

The discussion will touch on the report’s rigorous documentation of injuries and deaths of protestors due to crowd-control weapons, and the analysis that grounds the project’s recommendations to ensure both the health and lives of demonstrators and the rights of assembly, association and free expression are protected.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n6X5EXDWSRSpyz2NHLaJ-Q

Join us, Center for Latin American Studies, UC Berkeley, and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism on March 21 at UC Berkeley School of Law for a screening and panel of by Quiet Pictures' Bernardo Ruiz.

The film follows the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team's crusade to unearth the forcibly disappeared in Argentina and far beyond:

El Equipo: A screening and panel event on the Argentine Forensic Team's crusade to unearth the forcibly disappeared El Equipo tells the story of how Dr. Clyde Snow, a legendary forensic scientist from Texas, and Eric Stover, a human rights investigator and Faculty Director of the Human Rights Center who worked alon...

Check out Investigations Lab alumna Hannah Bagdasar's new piece for Bellingcat on investigating gender-based sexual violence in digital open source research, that draws on the deeply important work of Alexa Koenig and Ulic Egan of Institute for International Criminal Investigations - IICI:

Recognising Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as an Open Source Researcher - bellingcat Bellingcat examines strategies to approach sexual and gender-based violence content in open source research and investigations.

Our February newsletter just dropped! Check out this month's program updates and opportunities, including a reflection on one year since the ground invasion of Ukraine, several upcoming in-person events at Berkeley, and more:

https://conta.cc/3xTI40u

One year since the invasion of Ukraine, HRC's upcoming in-person events, and more Check out HRC's February updates! NEWS February 2023 Russia’s repeated, lethal missile strikes on civilian, non-military targets in Ukraine — including shopping areas, apartment buildings, schools and

"This is exactly why we created the [Berkeley] Protocol—to strengthen the evidence needed to secure justice in the face of atrocity." On the cusp of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Alexa Koenig and Lindsay Freeman speak to Berkeley News about how the is being used to document war crimes in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, Berkeley experts are shaping the legal fight against war crimes Protocol will assure that images from drones, satellites and millions of smart phones will be solid evidence in future trials

Happening at UC Berkeley School of Law: Learn how international lawyers and cyber threat researchers work together to hold perpetrators accountable for potential cyber war crimes with Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, Senior Director of SentinelLabs and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies, and Lindsay Freeman, Director of Technology, Law & Policy at Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley.

Join us from 1-2PM at Berkeley Law Room 295. Lunch served!

RSVP now: https://bit.ly/3xnHjg0

Building the Case: Accountability for "Cyber War Crimes" in Ukraine Join Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, Senior Director of SentinelLabs and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies, and Lindsay Freeman, Director of T...

Join Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley’s Technology, Law & Policy Director Lindsay Freeman in conversation with Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, Senior Director of SentinelLabs and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies, for a conversation about the cyber dimension of the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine and the effort to prosecute Russian cyber-attacks as war crimes.

WHEN: February 17, 1-2PM
WHERE: Room 295 UC Berkeley School of Law
RSVP now: https://bit.ly/3lkPYg9

Our first event with Our Children's Trust's Chief Counsel Julia Olson and UC Berkeley School of Law's Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law Executive Director Louise Bedsworth drew a captive audience and featured excellent questions from law students at our lunchtime event today. The discussion focused on climate change litigation strategies, and the status of the ongoing Juliana v. United States case.

TONIGHT we're hosting Julia Olson, student climate activists, and more at an in-person screening of the Juliana v. United States documentary at 5:30 PM, Room 110 at Berkeley Law. Pizza served, we'll see you there.

! Join our screening of at UC Berkeley School of Law, also featuring a post-film chat with Our Children's Trust Chief Legal Counsel Julia Olson and Berkeley student climate advocates about compelling governments and corporations to reduce emissions, and how citizens can take action. Pizza served!

Youth V. Gov: A special screening with Chief Legal Counsel Julia Olson and Student Climate Advocates “Youth v. Gov” is the story of Juliana v. United States, the ground-breaking case brought by the legal non-profit Our Children's Trust on behalf of 21 youth plaintiffs. It asserts that the g...