Eyewitness Video and Human Rights: Implications and Methodologies

WHO uses eyewitness video?

Amnesty International (hereafter Amnesty) and

Human Rights Watch (HRW), united

Nations Commission of Inquiry 

how does it differ from other forms of knowledge HR organizations use

how is video used as a tool in court

how does it impact global news 

what are ways it protects?

what ways does it change idea of HR? wha about our moral or political responsibility? 

what ways does it undermine? 

The article maps out (1)

Thomas Keenan and Eyal Weizman “forensics is not only about the science of investigation but rather about its presentation..arduous labor of truth-construction, poetic, dramatic, or

narrative, that forensic aesthetics can make things appear in the world.”(2011: para. 21)

 “the struggle for interpretative dominance” (Nichols 1994: 18) 

flat ethnography, where you slice into a world from different perspectives, scales, registers, and angles—all distinctively useful, valid and worthy of considerations” (2013: 16)

 Annelise Riles (2006). Imodern

 anthropology often shares the interests, passions, and challenges of the subjects it pursues.The relevance of eyewitness video to human rights necessitates a scholarly positioning from within the transnational human rights networks or“inside out” the ethnographic materi

change from worrying about underreporting stories that lack video to how to parse through expansiveness

on a corparate level,  Amnesty started training its field researchers in video-assessment techniques,which are becoming“a standard set of skills” (C. Koettl, 2015, pers. comm., July 22

According to Lawrence Krasner (2014), a civil rights attorney cell phones have been the best tool since DNA because they have democratized the gathering of evidence by enabling everyday citizens to easily take pictures.  "accidental witness" the beating of Rodney King, as its founding story.

• POINTS OF CONTENTION: evidence does not lead to justice or vindication “ We know, as a public, that Eric Garner was held in an illegal chokehold by a police officer…that is absolutely clear from the verified video

• films nazis made was used against them in court in Nuremberg Trials.”you will see their own conduct and hear their own voices.”

• underreport human rights stories due to a lack of accompanying audio-visual materials (International Council on Human Rights Policy 2002) has evolved into a concern about the ability of news media to properly assess and use the abundance of online video with a human rights focus (Sasseen 2012). 

How organizations use eyewitness video for advocacy in global news and also legal evidence. 

Can manipulate the public with global news and influence politics by being evidence in the courtroom

we are facing a new world, one where the truth doesn’t have to be the most investigated truth, but what is spread to most, what impacts the most people, where going viral could be as powerful as a vindicating piece of evidence. Thin desciptions, screenshots, tiktok long videos, slices of the truth, are easier to palate than the thickness of journal reports on cultural, historical, and symbolic meaning.

truth like human rights is simply a human made concept, our past in told by the winners. 

thin description (Jackson 2013)

change from worrying about underreporting stories that lack video to how to parse through expansiveness

on a corparate level,  Amnesty started training its field researchers in video-assessment techniques,

which are becoming“a standard set of skills” (C. Koettl, 2015, pers. comm., July 22

According to Lawrence Krasner (2014), a civil

rights attorney cell phones have been the best tool since DNA because they have democratized the gathering of evidence by enabling everyday citi-

zens to easily take pictures. 

POINTS OF CONTENTION: evidence does not lead to justice or vindication “ We know, as a public, that Eric Garner was held in an illegal choke-

hold by a police officer…that is absolutely clear from the verified video

films nazis made was used against them in court in Nuremberg Trials.”you will see their own conduct and hear their own voices.”

 media

underreport human rights stories due to a lack of accompanying audio-visual materials

(International Council on Human Rights Policy 2002) has evolved into a concern about the

ability of news media to properly assess and use the abundance of online video with a human

rights focus (Sasseen 2012). 

WHAT is an example? 

- These organizations used video to prove syrian gov used barrel bombs and chemcial weapons on civilians (Amnesty International 2015; Human Rights Watch 2014; Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic 2015).The unfolding of the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East,

-the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States,

-  the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe

 Green Revolution in Iran and the Arab

Spring uprisings, 

The

war in Bosnia

Specifically, it discusses how the concept of thin descrip-

tion (Jackson 2013) offers a possibility to study human rights from within the very

information networks that render eyewitness videos meaningful.

 lens of thin description allows researchers to recognize the partiality of their accounts, engage directly in dialogue with the communities and institutions producing knowledge, and trace how meaning is made across multiple platforms. Rather than seeking a totalizing, "thick" understanding, it acknowledges the fragmented, ongoing, and situated nature of information flows, especially in relation to visual media like eyewitness videos used in human rights work. This approach positions ethnographers inside the very networks they study, emphasizing collaboration, responsiveness, and the critical interpretation of how images gain authority and significance.

Illusion that it was a mirror of the real, it was manipulated 

Purely utopian ideal of souvalience, monitoring from below 

Digital camer

Illusion that more cameras lead to less violence 

Authentication suseptible

Who ensures media is authenticated? 

“Thin description”

“eyewitness videos” as opposed to other terms (e.g., citizen videos, user-

generated content, or amateur images), I 

"accidental witness"e beating of Rodney King, as its founding story.

How organizations use eyewitness video for advocacy in global news and also legal evidence. 

Can manipulate the public with global news and influence politics by being evidence in the courtroom

Introduction

• The advent of visual technologies and digital media has elevated the status of images for studying human rights.

• Eyewitness video has become crucial for human rights claims.

Human Rights Organizations and Eyewitness Video

• Use of Eyewitness Video:

  • Human rights organizations employ eyewitness video as an investigative tool.

  • It plays a significant role in advocacy work, crisis coverage, and as legal evidence.

• Methodological Implications:

  • New developments in ethnography offer fruitful grounds for studying the interaction between visual media and human rights.

Historical Context of Human Rights Movement

• Emerged during the 1970s amidst Cold War politics and civil rights movements.

• Information acts as the foundation for human rights advocacy.

• Early adopters of new technologies include human rights advocates.

Role of Visuals in Human Rights Recognition

• Visual technologies helped shape public understanding of human rights violations.

• Historical events, such as the Holocaust, influenced the establishment of human rights concepts.

Evolving Nature of Eyewitness Video

• The rise of digital video empowers activists, witnesses, and journalists.

• Eyewitness footage connects human rights violations to a wider audience, fostering potential for action.

• Emphasizes the "accidental witness" concept, where individuals document abuses unexpectedly.

Challenges and Concerns regarding Eyewitness Video

• Despite the availability of visual evidence, it doesn't always lead to accountability in legal systems.

• The saturation of visual content creates challenges for journalists and human rights advocates in authenticating evidence.

Eyewitness Video in Advocacy

• Organizations Utilizing Eyewitness Video:

  • Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and WITNESS.

• Eyewitness video is a powerful tool for investigations into war crimes, particularly when traditional media is absent.

• The methodology for utilizing video has evolved:

  • Need for technical skills to analyze and verify videos.

• Best practices include:

  • Authenticating content, location, time, and corroborating with other evidence.

Eyewitness Video in Journalism

• The rise of smartphone use has changed news reporting dynamics, allowing immediate access to eyewitness footage.

• Eyewitness videos aid in reporting on crises and provide critical footage when professional journalists cannot be present.

• These videos can shape media narratives and challenge mainstream representations.

Eyewitness Video in Legal Contexts

• The legal landscape has shifted to incorporate visual evidence in courtroom settings.

• Eyewitness videos are gaining acceptance as legitimate forms of evidence, with historical examples dating back to Nuremberg Trials.

• Legal implications include the challenge of ensuring video quality and relevance in court cases.

Methodological Perspectives

• Emphasizes the need for ethnographic approaches to understanding the role of eyewitness video in human rights advocacy, journalism, and law.

• Introduces the concept of thin description to engage with the complexities of visual documentation, focusing on dialogues with stakeholders.

• Thin description allows for a multi-faceted examination of visuals in human rights contexts, accommodating partial truths.

Conclusion

• Eyewitness video represents a significant evolutionary step in the intersection of human rights advocacy, journalism, and law.

• It is a powerful medium for gathering evidence and amplifying voices typically marginalized in traditional narratives.

• Future inquiries should focus on the interplay between visuals and the institutional frameworks that shape their implications for human rights.