Example: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Mapping Report (2009)
“All the relevant information relating to the 782 open incidents and cases can
be found in the Mapping Exercise database, which was submitted to the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. The following entries
can be found in the database for each incident or case: the source(s) of the
original information, fiche(s) d’entretien with witnesses to the incident, the nature
of the violations committed, a description of the violations and their location in
time and space, preliminary classification of crimes revealed by the incident, the
approximate number of victims, the armed group(s) involved and the identities
of some of the victims and the alleged perpetrators.”166
Creating dossiers is time- and resource-intensive. The resources expended in
generating them must be weighed against the anticipated benefit, noting that the
benefits may last well beyond the life of the investigative body.
2. Information to include
As noted, a simple list of names is of little value to a genuine pursuit of accountability.
Practice among investigations to date has varied concerning the level of detail
included in dossiers: “the more, the better” is true so long as guidelines are respected.
The information should be sufficient to alert the recipient to the scope and nature of
the crime or violation and the source material that the investigative body retained on
the implicated individual. Dossiers must be properly organized and follow a simple,
clear structure.
DRC Mapping Report, para. 119.
166
DOSSIERS ON RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUALS
97
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents