Rapid Response
How We Respond
The Rapid Response (RR) Programme is designed to swiftly coordinate and support existing documentation initiatives in areas where human rights violations need urgent documentation but where existing ecosystems lack methodological expertise or technical infrastructure. It focuses on preserving at-risk digital evidence and recovering information that has been removed or restricted by social media platforms.
Rapid Response works alongside local and international documentation groups to ensure that critical records of violations are secured quickly, safely, and in ways that support future accountability, advocacy and historical memory.
Since 2018, the programme has supported documentation efforts related to human rights violations and international crimes in Lebanon, Palestine, Kashmir, Iran and other contexts. It has incubated standalone Archives, including Ukrainian Archive and Sudanese Archive, as well.
What Rapid Response Does
Impact from Recent Projects
Emergency Documentation: Palestine
Rapid Response has supported the preservation of digital evidence related to human rights violations in Palestine, and submitted information and worked on the investigation to contribute to the legal filing about the death of German-Palestinian family in Gaza in collaboration with ECCHR. The case was reported by the prominent German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, for their report “Gaza: Who was the air strike aimed at?” published in July 2024.
Supporting International Accountability: Iran
Rapid Response supported the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran by submitting archived digital information relevant to its investigations. The programme also contributed to the launch of Iranian Archive by developing a dedicated instance of Elfehrest.
Emergency Documentation: Palestine
Rapid Response has supported the preservation of digital evidence related to human rights violations in Palestine, and submitted information and worked on the investigation to contribute to the legal filing about the death of German-Palestinian family in Gaza in collaboration with ECCHR. The case was reported by the prominent German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, for their report “Gaza: Who was the air strike aimed at?” published in July 2024.