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Listen "Episode 6 – Ahmed Abofoul On The Difficulties Of Preserving Evidence Under Occupation"
Episode Synopsis
This episode invites you to a conversation Ulrike Lühe has with Ahmed Abofoul, international human rights lawyer at the Palestinian NGO Al-Haq. Speaking from his deep experience documenting grave violations against Palestinians under Israeli occupation, Ahmed reveals the challenges and stakes of building an evidentiary record amid protracted conflict and state obstruction.
The methodological rigor of Al-Haq’s evidence collection—including on-the-ground fieldwork, open-source investigations, and advanced digital tools employed in a joint project with Forensic Architecture—ensures their documentation is admissible in courts and withstands political pressure and scrutiny.
Ahmed reflects on the contextualising of discrete violations within broader patterns of occupation and apartheid is essential for understanding and legally characterising the situation. While digititilisation enhances accessibility and verification, he reminds us that it brings unique risks under occupation, requiring careful balance between transparency and the protection of sources and witnesses.
About: Ahmed Abofoul is a Gaza-born international lawyer and Senior Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer at Al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights organisation based in Ramallah. Now based in The Hague, he specialises in documenting violations of international law and advocating before global accountability mechanisms. With extensive field and legal expertise, Abouful is recognised for his meticulous work supporting justice for Palestinians.
More Information: Al Haq home page / Forensic Architecture Investigation Unit / Forensic Architecture home page
The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024.
The methodological rigor of Al-Haq’s evidence collection—including on-the-ground fieldwork, open-source investigations, and advanced digital tools employed in a joint project with Forensic Architecture—ensures their documentation is admissible in courts and withstands political pressure and scrutiny.
Ahmed reflects on the contextualising of discrete violations within broader patterns of occupation and apartheid is essential for understanding and legally characterising the situation. While digititilisation enhances accessibility and verification, he reminds us that it brings unique risks under occupation, requiring careful balance between transparency and the protection of sources and witnesses.
About: Ahmed Abofoul is a Gaza-born international lawyer and Senior Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer at Al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights organisation based in Ramallah. Now based in The Hague, he specialises in documenting violations of international law and advocating before global accountability mechanisms. With extensive field and legal expertise, Abouful is recognised for his meticulous work supporting justice for Palestinians.
More Information: Al Haq home page / Forensic Architecture Investigation Unit / Forensic Architecture home page
The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024.
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