About IJWI

The Voice of the Voiceless — Preserving voices. Documenting evidence. Remembering history.

Purpose

IJWI is an independent digital testimony, historical documentation, and evidence archive platform. It is designed to preserve the voices and experiences of people who report having suffered, witnessed, or documented serious human rights abuses, violence, killings, displacement, property loss, imprisonment, disappearance, persecution, or other forms of injustice in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region from 1990 to the present.

The platform documents people regardless of ethnicity, nationality, political background, religion, gender, age, or geographical origin.

Its purpose is to preserve testimony, document evidence, support historical research, provide a public voice to people whose experiences may otherwise be forgotten, and contribute to responsible efforts toward truth, accountability, remembrance, and prevention.

Editorial Principle

IJWI must never automatically present an individual’s allegation as an established fact. We use neutral documentation terminology: Testimony, Witness account, Survivor account, Reported incident, Submitted evidence, Documented account, Claim, Source, Corroborated information, Verified source, Historical record.

The interface clearly distinguishes between a submitted account and information that has been independently corroborated or verified. Publication of an account does not by itself establish that every allegation contained in the account has been legally proven.

Who We Serve

IJWI is designed for survivors, witnesses, researchers, journalists, historians, legal professionals, human-rights organizations, academics, students, families, and future generations.

Review Status Labels

We do not use simple TRUE / FALSE labels. Every status has a documented methodology:

Submitted — Received and logged
Under Review — Editorial assessment in progress
Requires More Information — Clarification requested
Corroborated — Supported by multiple independent sources according to methodology
Document Supported — Linked to documentary material
Source Verified — Source identity and authenticity assessed
Disputed — Conflicting information recorded
Published — Approved for public archive
Confidential — Restricted; not for public display
Archived — Preserved but not actively displayed

Languages

Interface and submissions supported in English, Kinyarwanda, French, and Kiswahili.