Increasingly, human rights defenders and other concerned professionals have to conduct investigations into the commission of international crimes but without appropriate experience, training or access to best practice information. As a result, despite best efforts, information proving international crimes and associated human rights violations may be lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inadmissible with serious consequences for justice and accountability.
The Basic Investigative Standards for International Crimes (‘BIS’) provides a range of minimum standards for the investigation of international crimes. The BIS relies on the most widely accepted international standards, including those employed by the International Criminal Court, increasing the likelihood that relevant information is collected in ways that preserve its potential to be useful evidence in future national or international trials or accountability mechanisms.
