International legal standards for collecting evidence in war crimes cases
Palavras-chave:
International Criminal Law, War Crimes, Evidentiary Standards, Chain of Custody, Digital Evidence, Institutional IntegrityResumo
The aim of the study is to conduct a comprehensive comparative review of international standards for the collection of evidence in war crime cases, as well as their actual implementation in different legal and operational environments. A key element of the study was a doctrinal/legal assessment of internationally binding standards on authenticity, admissibility, and chain of custody, which were compiled into a matrix to facilitate cross-jurisdictional comparisons. Procedural reconstruction provided step-by-step documentation of investigative activities in 34 cases to demonstrate how different jurisdictions collected, documented and preserved evidence, and how well they maintained the integrity of the chain of custody. Compliance audits based on four criteria of completeness, reproducibility, authenticity, and transparency revealed systematic shortcomings in investigations. These included difficulties with digital forensic evidence, the transfer of materials across borders, and the maintenance of institutional integrity. These findings emphasize the need to harmonise international and national procedures and strengthen institutional integrity. They also point to the need for standard field documentation protocols that will enhance the reliability and admissibility of evidence in war crime cases. Furthermore, the findings will contribute to the development of evidence-based international legal doctrine and provide practical recommendations on how to enhance the reliability and admissibility of evidence in war crimes prosecutions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Oleksandr Galagan, Bohdan Koval, Oleksandr Lytvynchuk, Yevhen Dekhtiarov , Sergii Kniaziev
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