Episode 5: Marija Ristic On The Power Of Digital Evidence

The next episode in the series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024.

In this episode Dagmar Hovestadt talks to Marija Ristic about the cutting edge of digital evidence in contemporary human rights investigations. Marija is the head of Amnesty International’s Digital Evidence Lab. In the conversation she shares how multidisciplinary teams combine field research, satellite imagery, open-source intelligence, and digital communication to document complex crises such as Gaza and Iran.

Marija reflects on the fact that digital evidence now plays a central role in documenting human rights violations, especially in inaccessible or highly dangerous environments such as Gaza and Iran. While Amnesty International’s processes are rigorous, they constantly must adapt to different contexts, balancing authenticity, security, and privacy concerns in the collection and use of records.

A recent exciting initiative in this field is the Digital Verification Corps in which new generations of volunteers contribute to accountability efforts and document with digital tools, multiplying research capacity and supporting large-scale investigations.

About: Marija Ristic is a seasoned human rights investigator heading Amnesty International’s Digital Evidence Lab, focusing on crisis zones and digital documentation. She coordinates the Digital Verification Corps, mentoring global university teams in digital investigation and ethical verification practices. Marija draws on her background of reporting on post-Yugoslav war crimes, blending legal expertise with innovative research approaches.

More information:

Amnesty Evidence Lab

Digital Verification Corps