Human Rights Center

As Russia's Africa Corps fights in Mali, witnesses describe atrocities from beheadings to rapes The Associated Press has spoken to over 30 refugees from Mali who say they witnessed beheadings, rapes and other abuses committed by Africa Corps, a new military unit under Russia's direct command.

“That means any war crimes committed by Africa Corps in Mali are, in principle, attributable to the Russian government under the rules on state responsibility,” Lindsay Freeman, Senior Director of International Accountability at @hrcberkeley.bsky.social, told @apnews.com https://bit.ly/4oCUUbd

As Russia's Africa Corps fights in Mali, witnesses describe atrocities from beheadings to rapes The Associated Press has spoken to over 30 refugees from Mali who say they witnessed beheadings, rapes and other abuses committed by Africa Corps, a new military unit under Russia's direct command.

New reporting from @apnews.com on the "scorched-earth policy" that Malian civilians have suffered from Russia's Africa Corps, which has replaced Wagner Group in Mali. HRC's @lindsaysfreeman.bsky.social weighs in on holding Russia accountable for Africa Corps' crimes:
apnews.com/article/mali...

Open Source Practitioners Guide — Murad Code project

Download the Open-Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code in English, French, Ukrainian, and Arabic: www.muradcode.com/open-source-...

A milestone in standards for CRSV investigations: The open-source practitioners guide to the Murad Code Working to make ethical, secure, and survivor-centred approaches central to OSINT investigations into gender-based violence

“The Open-Source Practitioners Guide to the Murad Code is a major leap forward for investigators using digital methods to document gendered harms,” wrote @cen4infores.bsky.social in their blog for 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence: www.info-res.org/articles/a-m...

Join us on Dec 16 to officially launch the Open-Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code w/ @instituteici.bsky.social, a new resource supporting safe & ethical digital investigations into conflict-related sexual violence.
🎙️ Translation: FR/AR/UK
✍️ Register: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

In a new @opiniojuris.bsky.social piece, HRC Open Source Investigations Specialist Guillén Torres and Utrecht Prof. Pınar Yolum highlight why transparency and oversight are essential as AI becomes more integrated into #HumanRights investigations:
🔗 lnkd.in/eCxW5ttx

Empower students & faculty to embody the Fiat Lux spirit! Support UC Berkeley. Start here.

2/2: Our student work depends on your support. When you support us this #GivingTuesday you’re empowering the next generation of researchers, lawyers, and journalists to investigate atrocities at home and abroad. Double your impact with our matching challenge! give.berkeley.edu/giftdetails?...

“You Have Arrived in Hell” The 81-page report, “‘You Have Arrived in Hell’: Torture and Other Abuses Against Venezuelans in El Salvador’s Mega Prison,” provides a comprehensive account of the treatment of these people in El Sal...

The U.S. has secretly deported migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT “mega-prison,” where many have vanished. HRC's Investigations Lab students + staff worked with @hrw.org this semester to uncover what’s really happening inside: www.hrw.org/report/2025/...

Register to join the launch event for this critical new #OSINT resource developed by @iici.bsky.social and @hrcberkeley.bsky.social

🕐 Tuesday 16 December, 4-5pm CET
💭 Leading experts in the field discuss the practical application of the Guide
🌐 Translation in French, Ukrainian and Arabic

5/5: A huge congratulations to everyone involved in this two-year project that wouldn’t be possible without @alexakoenig.bsky.social, Gabriel Oosthuizen, Ingrid Elliott, @anthonyghaly.bsky.social, Olivia Head, Andrea Richardson, @maggieandresen.bsky.social, and so many more.

4/5: Join us for a launch event at 7:00am PST / 10:00am EST 4:00pm CET on December 16, where expert OSINT practitioners will discuss the practical application of the standards captured in the Guide. Translation in French, Ukrainian & Arabic provided: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

3/5: 5 years ago today, we co-launched the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations with the UN Office of Human Rights. Since then, it has been catalytic in advancing justice and accountability efforts around the world. We hope this guide will do the same for investigating SCRSV.

2/5: The Guide offers practical direction for investigators, journalists, researchers, and civil society organizations working with online open source information, and outlines approaches for responsible planning, trauma-aware practice, digital security, and rigorous verification.

1/5: In partnership with @instituteici.bsky.social we are thrilled to finally share the Open-Source Practitioner’s Guide to the Murad Code, a resource designed to strengthen the digital investigations of systematic + conflict-related sexual violence (SCRSV): www.muradcode.com/open-source-...

Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways | FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series Civil rights and weapons experts cite the consequences of federal agents’ use of crowd control weapons: religious leaders shot with pepper balls and noxious chemicals. A nurse nearly blinded by tear g...

Americans are witnessing a "far more dangerous use" of crowd control weapons in recent months, HRC Advisory Board Member @rohinihaar.bsky.social told @frontlinepbs.bsky.social, despite calls for use policy changes in 2020. "You’re going to see a lot more injuries."
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...

Collaborations Across Borders and Disciplines: Insights from Open-Source Investigations [Isabella Regan is PhD researcher at the department of Law, Society and Crime of Erasmus School of Law, Rotterdam, focusing on public and private open-source investigations and atrocity crimes. Ale…

"A structural approach to OSI collaborations may enhance rigorous, credible and meaningful investigations that leverage the richness of multidisciplinary input, rather than being hampered by it." Read more in @opiniojuris.bsky.social / @alexakoenig.bsky.social:
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/24/c...

Investigating hell: How our students supported Human Rights Watch’s report on El Salvador’s CECOT This is a co-authored post by Talia Harter, Maneh Davityan, Kyle Sweasey, Nick D’Acri, Ana Gonzalez, Audrey Colocho, Daniella Spero

1/2 "Investigating Hell" - our student team at the @hrcberkeley.bsky.social's Investigations Lab discuss their methods + experiences conducting open source research for Human Rights Watch's important new report "You Have Arrived in Hell"
medium.com/humanrightsc...

📣 Applications are now open for the 2026 HRC Student Fellowship! UC students receive an $8,000 stipend, training & mentorship to complete 8+ weeks of human rights fieldwork with a partner organization of their choice.
🗓️ Deadline: Feb 17, 2026
🔗 Apply: humanrights.berkeley.edu/programs-and...

Investigating hell: How our students supported Human Rights Watch’s report on El Salvador’s CECOT This is a co-authored post by Talia Harter, Maneh Davityan, Kyle Sweasey, Nick D’Acri, Ana Gonzalez, Audrey Colocho, Daniella Spero

2/2: “Our findings highlight the architecture of control that CECOT administrators wield over inmates,” wrote our student researchers in a reflection on their experiences working on this research. Read it here:
medium.com/humanrightsc...

“You Have Arrived in Hell” The 81-page report, “‘You Have Arrived in Hell’: Torture and Other Abuses Against Venezuelans in El Salvador’s Mega Prison,” provides a comprehensive account of the treatment of these people in El Sal...

🚨 1/2: Our Investigations Lab students + staff contributed essential research verifying detention conditions and patterns of abuse in @hrw.org + @cristosal.bsky.social's new report on arbitrary detention, torture + inhumane conditions in El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison.
🔗 www.hrw.org/report/2025/...

Eric Stover: A Pioneer in Forensic Human Rights

HRC Faculty Director Eric Stover joined the newest episode of the “Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations” podcast to reflect on four decades of applying forensic science to advance human rights globally.
🎧 Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/0AD6...

🎬 Happening TODAY!
⏰ 4:30 PM
📍 @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social Booth Auditorium (Room 175)
RSVP: events.berkeley.edu/hrc/event/30...

Program The APHA 2025 program offers ample educational and networking opportunities to engage, collaborate and grow to meet your professional goals.

Today @apha.org: Julie Freccero & Michaela Austin present findings from Family and Me, a groundbreaking foster care model centering youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation in San Francisco. We're thrilled to share our findings evaluating the program:
www.apha.org/events-and-m...

Sign Up Sign Up Here!

🧵5/5 Want updates like these straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for the latest on our human rights research and investigations, events, and more: lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/T08rF2p/n...

🧵4/5: On 11/5 @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social, we're screening Estado de Silencio (State of Silence), a documentary on violence against journalists in #Mexico. Panel to follow with Santiago Maza, @berkeleyjournalism.bsky.social, @betsypopken.bsky.social + more!
RSVP: events.berkeley.edu/hrc/event/22...

🧵3/5 @bellingcat.com's Director for Research and Training @giancarlofiorella.bsky.social & Investigator and Trainer @koltai.bsky.social spent 3 days visiting our Investigations Lab + @alexakoenig.bsky.social, sharing research and open source investigative methods with students.

Most of Wine Country's agricultural workers have been exposed to wildfires, new survey finds - Berkeley News By partnering with the community, UC Berkeley researchers conducted a sweeping survey of California farmworkers on their experience working during wildfires.

🧵2/5 HRC's Linda Gordon and Berkeley Public Health’s Dr. Carly Hyland surveyed more than 1,000 farmworkers and published 2 reports on how Sonoma County’s Ag Pass Program affects health and safety during #wildfires, calling for urgent reform: news.berkeley.edu/2025/10/20/m...

HRC October Newsletter Email from Human Rights Center New wildfire safe and healthy research, fellowship conference, and more!     October 2025 Newsletter 2024–2025 student fellow Rachel Wallace presents on a panel at the 2

🧵1/5 Our October newsletter just dropped! Check out our new projects & latest updates, including groundbreaking research on farmworker safety, a visit from @bellingcat.com to our Investigations Lab, our annual Human Rights Fellowship Conference, & much more: conta.cc/43JPELf

ESTADO DE SILENCIO/STATE OF SILENCE: film screening and panel State of Silence/Estado de Silencio explores the limits of freedom of the press in Mexico, following four journalists who risk their lives to repor...

Join us for Estado de Silencio (State of Silence), a film on #PressFreedom in #Mexico. Panel & Q&A to follow w/ director Santiago Maza, @berkeleyjournalism.bsky.social Michael Bolden & more!
📅 Nov. 5
⏰ 4:30 PM
📍 @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social Booth Auditorium
🔗 RSVP: events.berkeley.edu/hrc/event/30...

UC Berkeley researchers find 75% of surveyed field workers labored during Sonoma County wildfires since 2017 A study published this week takes a highly critical view of Sonoma County’s Ag Pass program, adding to previous analyses that suggest the system, which allows agricultural workers into disaster eva…

HRC's Linda Gordon and @publichealth.berkeley.edu's Dr. Carly Hyland have published two reports examining how Sonoma County’s Ag Pass program impacts the health, safety, and livelihoods of agricultural workers during wildfires. Read more @pressdemo.bsky.social:
www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/10/24/b...