Documenting War Crimes: Creating Citizen Evidence Archives

The world is watching a slaughter in realtime while media executives gather in air-conditioned boardrooms to debate which atrocities are “fit to print” and which are simply too inconvenient for their advertisers! We’re witnessing the most documented genocide in human history – smartphones and social media creating a parallel reality that mainstream gatekeepers can’t entirely suppress. But make no mistake, the evidence is being released as we speak! Digital platforms are algorithmically burying gruesome realities under mountains of celebrity gossip and sponsored content, while government officials issue stomach-turning statements about “acceptable casualty ratios” from behind bulletproof podiums. The weapons manufacturers who profit from this carnage count on our collective amnesia – the fog of “both sides” rhetoric that eventually obscures every massacre.

This isn’t about politics – it’s about documentation. Pure, unfiltered reality preserved before the revisionists can sanitize history. The powerful maintain control through strategic forgetting, counting on our goldfish memories and information overload. Your phone holds the power to preserve what others would erase – and that preservation is a revolutionary act that terrifies the war criminals and their enablers across the political spectrum. When they say “move on,” what they really mean is “forget the evidence.”

TACTICAL BREAKDOWN

This action creates decentralized, verified archives of on-the-ground documentation that:

• Preserves primary evidence of war crimes and human rights violations
• Verifies content through distributed authentication networks
• Creates accessible, searchable evidence catalogs resistant to censorship
• Builds verification chains that strengthen legal accountability

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

PHASE ONE: ARCHIVE CREATION

Step 1: Infrastructure Setup

Begin by establishing secure digital infrastructure for your documentation archive. Avoid commercial platforms vulnerable to corporate censorship and government pressure. Instead, use decentralized storage solutions like IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) that distribute content across multiple nodes, making it virtually impossible to delete.

Download IPFS Desktop (free) and allocate at least 100GB of storage to your node. For maximum resilience, use a dedicated computer running Linux (Ubuntu works well for beginners) and connect it to a UPS battery backup. Create a fresh email using ProtonMail or Tutanota specifically for this project, never linking it to personal accounts.

Step 2: Collection Methodology

Develop systematic approaches to gathering evidence rather than random accumulation. Create collection “beats” based on geography, incident type, or source reliability. Establish a consistent naming convention for files (date_location_type_source) and maintain meticulous metadata including original upload dates, source verification status, and chain-of-custody information. Create separate folders for verified, unverified, and contextual material. Remember that context materials (maps, satellite imagery, official statements) are as important as direct evidence when building comprehensive documentation.

Step 3: Verification Network

Raw documentation is powerful, but verified documentation is unassailable. Build a distributed verification network of at least five people with complementary skills (language expertise, geolocation abilities, military knowledge, etc.). Establish a multi-step verification protocol that includes source assessment, geolocation confirmation, timestamp verification, and contextual analysis. Document each verification step using a shared spreadsheet with clear criteria. Implement a confidence rating system (1-5) that honestly acknowledges evidence limitations while preserving potentially valuable but unconfirmed materials.

PHASE TWO: DISTRIBUTION AND PROTECTION

Step 4: Censorship Resistance

Protect your archive from takedowns by implementing multiple redundancy layers. Create mirrors across at least three different hosting technologies (IPFS, Tor Hidden Services, and encrypted torrents). Generate weekly SHA256 hashes of your complete archive and publish them through distributed channels including trusted journalists, academics, and legal organizations. Create “dead man’s switch” protocols that automatically release encryption keys to verified partners if you face interference. Test your systems monthly by running simulated takedown scenarios.

Step 5: Accessibility Design

Documentation locked in impenetrable technical systems fails its purpose. Create simplified, user-friendly interfaces that allow journalists, researchers, and legal professionals to access your archives without specialized technical knowledge. Develop a basic website with clear search functionality, categorization by incident type and location, and contextual explanations. Create downloadable packages of evidence organized by specific events or time periods. Include methodology explanations that strengthen credibility against disinformation attacks.

Step 6: Network Expansion

Scale impact by connecting with other documentation initiatives. Reach out to established human rights documentation organizations like Bellingcat, Syrian Archive, and Forensic Architecture to coordinate efforts and potentially integrate your evidence into their systems. Create standardized evidence exchange protocols that maintain verification integrity across networks. Develop collaborative verification workshops that build capacity among new documentation teams. Connect with legal professionals specializing in international humanitarian law who can guide documentation priorities.

PHASE THREE: IMPACT AMPLIFICATION

Step 7: Strategic Publication

Transform documentation into action through strategic release of verified evidence packages. Create focused evidence briefs around specific incidents with clear verification methodology explanations. Develop relationships with international journalists, UN special rapporteurs, and human rights organizations who can amplify findings. Time releases strategically around relevant policy discussions, international meetings, and court proceedings. Prepare concise briefing materials that make complex evidence accessible to non-specialists.

Step 8: Legal Integration

Build pathways for your documentation to support legal accountability. Research active cases in international courts and tribunals where your evidence might be relevant. Connect with legal organizations pursuing universal jurisdiction cases. Study evidentiary standards for war crimes prosecutions and align your verification protocols accordingly. Create legal evidence packages organized by specific violations of international humanitarian law, with relevant Geneva Convention articles and Rome Statute provisions clearly cited.

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

Technical Platforms:

• IPFS: https://ipfs.tech/ (Decentralized storage)
• SecureDrop: https://securedrop.org/ (Anonymous submission system)
• Tella: https://tella-app.org/ (Secure documentation app)

Verification Tools:

• Bellingcat’s Online Investigation Toolkit:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BfLPJpRtyq4RFtHJoNpvWQjmGnyVkfE2HYoICKOGguA/
• InVID Verification Plugin: https://www.invid-project.eu/tools-and-services/invid-verification-plugin/

Legal Resources:

• Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/tools-and-resources/berkeley-protocol-digital-open-source-investigations
• Eyewitness to Atrocities app: https://www.eyewitness.global/

EXAMPLES FROM THE FIELD

The Syrian Archive has preserved over 3.5 million pieces of digital content documenting violations since 2014, creating a database that’s been used in European criminal courts pursuing universal jurisdiction cases. Their methodology of preservation, verification, and secure storage has created evidence that would otherwise have been lost to digital deletion and platform censorship.

The Digital Verification Corps at Amnesty International trained hundreds of volunteer digital investigators who verified social media evidence of police brutality during the 2020 protests, creating evidence packages that supported legal cases against law enforcement agencies in multiple cities.

TACTICAL VARIATIONS

For high-risk regions where technical expertise might expose documenters to danger, consider distributed collection models where multiple individuals capture single elements (video, location data, timestamps) that are only combined later in secure environments. This prevents any individual from possessing complete documentation that might put them at risk.

For regions with limited internet connectivity, develop offline documentation protocols using encrypted USB drives and metadata templates that can be synchronized during brief connectivity windows. Develop simplified apps that can function on basic Android phones with minimal data requirements.

COUNTERING OPPOSITION

When faced with claims of “fake” or “manipulated” evidence, your rigorous verification methodology becomes your strongest defense. Document every verification step transparently, maintain original files with metadata intact, and implement consensus verification where multiple independent analysts confirm findings. Prepare for technical challenges by implementing cryptographic signing of verified documents.

When social media platforms delete evidence, reference your preservation timestamps and hashes to demonstrate the original existence of now-censored materials. Build relationships with digital rights organizations who can amplify concerns about platform censorship of human rights documentation.

THE NEXT BATTLEFIELD

Documentation today creates accountability tomorrow. The archives you build aren’t just passive repositories of horror – they’re the foundation of future justice when the political winds eventually shift. The war criminals and their enablers are betting on your exhaustion and forgetfulness. They count on the world’s attention span being shorter than their capacity for atrocity. But documented evidence doesn’t tire, doesn’t forget, and doesn’t compromise. The digital record you create will outlive the propaganda and the convenient amnesia of officials who hope history will forget their complicity.

The revolution isn’t just in the streets – it’s in the meticulous preservation of truth against those who would erase it.

RELATED ACTION ITEMS

• Creating Decentralized Translation Networks (EA7)
• Building Legal Support Systems for Witnesses (L4)
• Developing Secure Communication Channels (T8)
• Organizing Evidence Verification Workshops (O3)