The evidence of Islamic State atrocities could soon be submitted via an app

The special UN Investigative Team probing Daesh will soon be launching a new method for submitting evidence of the Daesh atrocities. The UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD) is a body created by the UN Security Council Resolution 2379 (2017) to obtain and preserve evidence of the atrocities perpetrated by Daesh in Iraq.

In June 2020, UNITAD presented some of the progress it had made in recent years. UNITAD is helping to address fundamental challenges faced by domestic authorities in prosecuting Daesh members.

Its work is made possible “thanks to the collection and exploitation of call data and related records, the forensic digital extraction of evidence from devices formerly used by Daesh and the digitization of documentary records held by Iraqi authorities, the Team can significantly broaden the basis on which accountability processes can be built.”

As a result, UNITAD has already identified 344 alleged Daesh perpetrators involved in the atrocities unleashed against religious minorities six years ago. This number will only increase as UNITAD continues its work.

As UNITAD continues to collect and preserve evidence, it also seeks to introduce a new way to ensure that they can reach larger groups of people who may have some evidence of the Daesh atrocities.

UNITAD is working the development of a secure and structured mobile reporting application (app) which will allow members of targeted communities and others to submit information on the atrocities and the perpetrators. The app was developed in response to travel limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It should enable UNITAD to continue with their mandate despite these restrictions. Furthermore, the app could also improve efficiency of data collection. As UNITAD reports, “the [app] contains a series of survey questions and fields, enabling individuals to provide leads and information to the Team, including photographs, document scans and other materials.

It is hoped that the application will serve as an effective pre -screening tool, reducing the need for in-person meetings with survivors and witnesses.”

The development of the app is an important step to help the team engage with ever growing amount of evidence of the Daesh atrocities.

Source: Fobes