Major civil society organisations and networks across Ukraine are partnering with eyeWitness to Atrocities (eyeWitness) to capture reliable, unmodifiable footage of war crimes with the eyeWitness to Atrocities camera app. One of eyeWitness’ latest partnerships is with the Ukraine 5AM Coalition – a major alliance of more than 30 human rights organisations documenting war crimes and other violations of the Russian invaders, reports the eyeWitness website.

Initiated by the International Bar Association (IBA), the app is being widely used by civilians across Ukraine. However, to increase the chances of their footage being used as evidence in investigations, numerous organisations conducting widespread and/or targeted documentation of the war are becoming eyeWitness partners. These partnerships typically include additional technical assistance, documentation training, footage retrieval, and support with accountability goals. eyeWitness also always consults partners before using their footage for accountability purposes.

eyeWitness has been partnering with professional documenters in Ukraine since 2017. eyeWitness is also partnering with a network of volunteers gathering photos, videos, and witness statements in newly liberated areas of Ukraine, and providing services such as psychological help and food distribution.

Other eyeWitness partners include law firms documenting damage to civilian and commercial properties for future compensation claims and trials on a pro bono basis, as well as agricultural companies documenting the damage to their fields, equipment, and produce.

The Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA) acts as a partner of the IBA in Ukraine on issues of documenting evidence of war crimes. You can read useful information about using the eyeWitness to Atrocities app via the link.

Since February 2022, eyeWitness has received more than 28,700 photos, videos, and audio recordings relating to the war in Ukraine.