DVU supports investigation into human rights abuse in Iran

University of Essex law students and staff have played an instrumental role in gathering crucial digital evidence of human rights abuse in Iran.

Essex’s Digital Verification Unit (DVU) has been part of a team of experts across the world collecting, verifying, and analysing around 1.3 million pieces of digital evidence which shows how protestors have been met with violence from the Iranian authorities.

The collection of evidence, known as the Iranian Archive, is hosted by Mnemonic and has been a vital asset to United Nations investigators.

It will also play a key role in an upcoming Amnesty International report, which sheds light on the violent crackdown on protestors in Kurdistan provinces.

Widespread protests have taken place in Iran in response to the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022.

She died under suspicious circumstances days after she was arrested for allegedly failing to wear a hijab in accordance with state law. Essex’s DVU has helped gather and verify footage, images and other digital content showing the use of violence against protestors.

Its work has uncovered a number of human rights abuses, including extra-judicial and unlawful killings and murder, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and unnecessary or disproportionate use of force.

This evidence was submitted to the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI), which investigated reports of human rights abuses carried out against protesters.

A report published by the FFMI in March 2024 concluded that the violent repression of peaceful protests and pervasive institutional discrimination against women and girls have led to serious human rights violations, many amounting to crimes against humanity.

An estimated 551 protesters have been killed by security forces during the protests, including 49 women and 68 children.

Dr Matthew Gillett, Senior Lecturer in Essex Law School and head of the DVU, said: “The fact that our work has directly contributed to such a high-level UN investigation underscores the critical importance of digital verification in modern human rights documentation.

“It demonstrates how student-led initiatives like the DVU can have a real and meaningful impact on international justice mechanisms.

“In an era where disinformation and misinformation are rampant, the ability to verify digital content is more important than ever.”

Nabeel Khalid, a student volunteer for the DVU, added: “Our work at the ensures that human rights organisations, international bodies, and the public have access to reliable, verified information about events that might otherwise go undocumented or be distorted.”

It is hoped the Iranian Archive will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, journalists, and human rights defenders for years to come, similar to other archives relating to human rights abuses in Syria, Yemen, Ukraine and Sudan.

Essex’s DVU was set up in 2016 and sees students trained on open-source techniques to analyse, verify and collection digital evidence of human rights abuses carried out around the world.

Staff and students work together to collect evidence, which is shared with experts and partners around the world.