Bard College Berlin students document human rights violations with open-source investigations

Working with Amnesty International’s Digital Verification Corps, Bard College Berlin is one of six universities in the world with students taking part in the hands-on work of using open-source digital evidence for human rights accountability.

Students in BCB’s Digital Verification Corps (DVC) unit are led by Fred Abrahams, meeting weekly along with students from the Hertie School. Past accomplishments from BCB’s DVC include contributions to Mnemonic’s Iranian Archive, which serves to document human rights violations committed during the 2022 protests in Iran.

This September, students participated in the DVC Summit held in Geneva, Switzerland with DVC teams from the University of Cambridge, University of Essex, University of California-Berkeley, Hertie School, and Ibero University in México City. One BCB student in attendance, Liana Sendetska '26, says, “This significant event, part of Amnesty International’s efforts, gathered DVC units from across different universities to discuss open-source and other new methodologies for documenting human rights violations.”

“During the Summit,” she explains, “participants engaged in a variety of hands-on workshops focused on various topics, from using open-source evidence to track environmental harm to investigating border violence through geospatial practices. These interactive sessions not only enhanced participants’ technical abilities but also fostered meaningful discussions on further collaborative projects among units.”

The Summit participants also met with two UN human rights experts and visited the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“Human rights research requires digital skills,” Abrahams says, “so it's great that students can learn the latest techniques and tools. At the DVC, Bard Berlin joins a network of universities and students studying and applying methods to promote human rights.”

Students interested in getting involved with the verification corps can attend the upcoming information session on campus on Thursday, October 10 from 12:30pm-1:30pm in the Lecture Hall or reach out to Fred Abrahams.

In addition, there will be a workshop on digital investigations covering Syria, Ukraine, and Russia held on November 2. The workshop is hosted by the Ї Club (BCB’s Ukrainian student club), DVC, and Hesham Moadamani, BCB’s Civic Engagement and OSUN Coordination Officer.

By: Sophia Paudel, Bard College Berlin Communications

Post Date: 10-09-2024