Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, joins eyeWitness to Atrocities’ Board of Trustees
eyeWitness to Atrocities (eyeWitness), founded by the International Bar Association (IBA), has announced that Fatou Bensouda, the immediate past Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has joined its Board of Trustees. Ms Bensouda is recognised for her exceptional contributions to international justice.
Ms Bensouda said of her appointment to the eyeWitness Board of Trustees, ‘I am honoured to be appointed to the eyewitness Board of Trustees. It is a great opportunity to be able to bring my humble contributions to serve a worthy cause.’
Ms Bensouda is renowned for her expertise in international law and criminal justice. During her tenure at the ICC (2012-2021), she played a pivotal role in pursuing accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. She has also served as a legal adviser to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania and as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General in her native country of The Gambia.
Prestigious awards have honoured Ms Bensouda’s unwavering commitment to justice, including the 2011 World Peace Through Law Award and the 2009 International Commission of Jurists International Jurists Award. Also, she has been recognised as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people worldwide, as well as the fourth most influential person in Africa by Jeune Afrique magazine. In 2015, as part of its prestigious list of 100 Women, her influence and impact on a global scale were recognised by the BBC.
Dr Mark Ellis, eyeWitness originator and IBA Executive Director, said: ‘As the former Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda has played a crucial role in pursuing accountability for the most heinous of crimes. In doing so, she has garnered global recognition and condign admiration. Her distinguished background, dedication to the rule of law and exceptional legal expertise makes her an invaluable addition to eyeWitness to Atrocities’ Board of Trustees. We are honoured to welcome her and look forward to the contributions she will make furthering the goals of eyeWitness.’
Carrie Bowker, Director of eyeWitness said: ‘We are privileged to have Ms Fatou Bensouda join our Board of Trustees. Her exceptional track record speaks volumes about her dedication to upholding human rights and seeking accountability for atrocity crimes. With Ms Bensouda on board, we look forward to advancing our mission of promoting accountability for mass atrocity crimes through the verifiable documentation of atrocity crimes and human rights violations.’
Ms Fatou Bensouda joins eyeWitness’ distinguished Board of Trustees, comprised of prominent figures including Mark Ellis, Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama, Richard Goldstone, Tim Hughes, Sternford Moyo, David W Rivkin and Philip Zeidman.
The eyeWitness to Atrocities app is an award-winning, free, mobile phone camera tool for Android phones that enables on-the-ground documenters to capture verifiable photo, video and audio footage of human rights violations. At the moment of capture, the eyeWitness app embeds the footage with the metadata required to demonstrate authenticity, allowing the footage to be relied on by investigators and to be used in court. Then, when an app user sends footage to the eyeWitness server, it is stored in a secure LexisNexis® repository in a way that guarantees the chain of custody. Thereafter, in collaboration with a team of lawyers, eyeWitness analyses the received footage and prepares detailed dossiers for a range of domestic and international accountability mechanisms, including at the ICC and UN. To date, more than 65,000 photos, videos and audio files have been captured using the eyeWitness app.
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Notes to the Editor
- Useful links:
- Click here for the eyeWitness Ukraine - Resources Hub.
- Click here to download the eyeWitness to Atrocities camera app.
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About eyeWitness
Founded by the International Bar Association in 2015, eyeWitness to Atrocities (eyeWitness) helps human rights defenders around the world capture and use verifiable photos and videos for justice. As well as providing the specialist eyeWitness to Atrocities camera app, eyeWitness also offers training on photo and video documentation, legal expertise and links to key investigative bodies such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. All these services are free. By combining law with technology, eyeWitness ensures that images are not only verifiable, but that they can be used to hold perpetrators accountable in courts of law.
Find eyeWitness to Atrocities on social media here: - The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), an autonomous and financially independent entity, works to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.
- Find the IBA on social media here:
For further information, please contact:
Valmira Gkioni
Communications Coordinator
eyeWitness to Atrocities
Email: media@eyewitness.global
Romana St. Matthew - Daniel
Press Office
International Bar Association
5 Chancery Lane
London WC2A 1LG
United Kingdom
Mobile: +31 (0) 70 737 0686
Direct Line: +44 (0)20 7842 0094
Main Office: +44 (0)20 7842 0090
Fax: +44 (0)20 7842 0091
Email: romana.daniel@int-bar.org
Email: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org
Website: www.ibanet.org
Website page link for this news release:
Short link: www.tinyurl.com/fz68hdnx