The Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Docket Initiative triggers prosecutions against those who commit mass atrocities and represents survivors in court.
From Ukraine, to Venezuela, to Syria, to the Democratic Republic of Congo, we seek to hold abusers of human rights accountable to survivors, victims and their families. Our work takes place in conflict zones and courtrooms.
We use cutting edge investigative tools to gather evidence and trigger official investigations and prosecutions by international, regional, or national courts. We then represent and support survivors, witnesses, and victims’ families, helping them tell their stories in their pursuit for justice.
The Docket: Introduced by Anya Neistat
Anya Neistat, Legal Director of The Docket initiative, introduces The Docket and its mission; to bring actions against those involved in international crimes and represents victims in their pursuit of justice.
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Our foundation is committed to helping to bring to justice the perpetrators of atrocities in Ukraine. Ukrainians demand and have every right to expect their day in court – and to have access to funds to rebuild their lives.
Co-Founders of the Clooney Foundation for Justice
Genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes are being committed across the globe without any legal consequences.
The Docket seeks to change that dynamic, by pursuing the perpetrators and accomplices of mass atrocities through the courts, and supporting survivors as they seek justice. In addition to investigating perpetrators such as security forces and armed groups, The Docket investigates businesses, including businesspeople, who enable or benefit from international crimes.
Did you know
The Docket created an award-winning online tool that looks into how each of the 193 UN Member states criminalizes the most serious international crimes. Visit the Justice Beyond Borders online mapping tool here.
The Docket Antiquities Project
An investigation by The Docket into the international networks responsible for the looting and smuggling of thousands of antiquities from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, shows how the trade in these stolen artifacts funds war crimes and terrorism. For ISIS, antiquities became one of the main sources of financing, along with oil and ransom.
By combining field investigations, open-source analysis, strategic litigation, and advocacy we can wage justice for survivors no matter where in the world they are.
We work in partnership with diverse networks of civil society groups and experts, including forensic medical experts, weapons experts, forensic anthropologists, finance and taxation experts, open-source investigators and digital forensics specialists.
Our team and partner experts gather evidence of mass atrocities in conflict zones across the world before it is lost or covered up. Our team in Ukraine, alongside partners such as Ukrainian investigative group Truth Hounds, have been gathering invaluable evidence during the conflict. Paired with our research and expertise in universal jurisdiction, and close cooperation with domestic courts and the ICC, allows us to explore all possible paths of holding perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to account.
We work with prosecutors and collaborate with law firms to file cases and represent victims. Our evidence bolsters criminal cases and allows survivors to sue in civil claims that can provide life-changing remedies. And critically – we support survivors and the families of victims throughout the entire justice process.
The Docket facilitated the journey of survivors of sexual and gender based violence from the Democratic Republic of Congo to France to testify against a former warlord. We also submitted a complaint before the Argentine justice system about international crimes committed in Venezuela which resulted in the launch of a formal investigation.
This task is possible thanks to our team’s connections to justice actors around the world, including local and international investigators, campaigners, and researchers. We leverage these connections as part of our advocacy to maximize the impact of our efforts.
