WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to start 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with the story of Mary, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a woman from an African village. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Her first memories 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are of her family fleeing violent riots 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 orchestrated 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by the ruling political party. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Her brother was murdered 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by the state-sponsored militia, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and she was raped more than once 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 just because she belonged to the wrong party. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 One morning, a month before the election, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Mary's village was called to another intimidation meeting. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In this meeting, these men standing in front of them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 telling them, "We know who you are, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we know who you will vote for, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and if you're not going to drop the right paper, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we're going to take revenge." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But for Mary, this meeting is different. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She feels different. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This time, she's waiting for this meeting, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because this time, she's carrying 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a small hidden camera in her dress, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a camera that nobody else can see. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Nobody is allowed to film in these meetings. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You risk your life if you do. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Mary knows that, but she also knows 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that the only way to stop them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and to protect herself 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and her community 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is to expose their intimidation, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to make sure they understand 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 somebody is following them, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to break the impunity they feel. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Mary and her friends were filming 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for months undercover 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the intimidation of the ruling political party. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Video) [Filmed With Hidden Cameras] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Man: We are going to speak about the upcoming elections. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Nothing can stup us from doing what we want. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If we hear you are with [the opposition] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we will not forgive you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Militia Intimidation Rally] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [The Party] can torture you at any time. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The youth can beat you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Disruption of Political Meeting] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For those who lie, saying they are back with [the Party], 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 your time is running out. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 [Party Youth Militia] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some have died because they rebelled. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some have lost their homes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you don't work together with [the Party], 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you will lead a very bad life. NOTE Paragraph 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Oren Yakobovich: These images were broadcast all over the world, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but more importantly, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they have been broadcast 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 back to the community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The perpetrators saw them too. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They understood somebody is following them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They got scared. Impunity was broken. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Mary and her friends forced 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the ruling political party 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not to use violence during the election, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and saved hundreds of lives. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Mary is just one of hundreds of people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that my organization had helped 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to document human rights violations 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 using cameras. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My background should have led me to a different direction. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I was born in Israel 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to a right-wing family, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and as long as I remember myself, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I wanted to join the Israeli army 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to serve my country and prove that I was 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what I believed was our right 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for the whole land. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I joined the Israeli army just after 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the first intifada, the first Palestinian uprising, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I served in one of the hard-minded, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 toughest, aggressive infantry units, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I got the biggest gun in my platoon. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Quite fast, I became an officer 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and got soldiers under my command, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and as time passed, I started serving in the West Bank, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I saw these images. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I didn't like what I saw. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It took me a while, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but eventually I refused to serve in the West Bank 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and had to spend time in jail. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was a bit 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 — (Applause) — 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was not that bad, I have to say. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was a bit like being in a hotel, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but with very shitty food. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In jail, I kept thinking that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I need people to know, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I need people to understand 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what's the reality in the West Bank looks like. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I need them to hear what I heard, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I need them to see what I saw, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but I also understood, we needed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Palestinians themselves, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the people that are suffering, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to be able to tell their own stories, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not journalists or filmmakers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that are coming outside of the situation. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I joined a human rights organization, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Israeli human rights organization called B'Tselem. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Together, we analyzed the West Bank 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and picked a hundred families that are living in the most risky places: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 close to checkpoints, near army bases, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 side by side with settlers. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We gave them cameras and training. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Quite fast, we started getting 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 very disturbing images 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 about how the settlers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the soldiers are abusing them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to share with you 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 two clips from this project. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Both of them were broadcast in Israel, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and it created a massive debate, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I have to warn you, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 some of you might find them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 quite explicit. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The masked men you will see in the first clips 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are Jewish settlers. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Minutes before the camera was turned on, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they approached a Palestinian family 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that was working their land 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and told them that they have to leave the land, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because this land belongs to the Jewish settlers. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Palestinians refused. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Let's see what happened. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The masked men that are approaching 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are Jewish settlers. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They are approaching the Palestinian family. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is a demonstration in the West Bank. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The guy in green is Palestinian. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He will be arrested in a second. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Here you see him blindfolded and handcuffed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In a few seconds, he regrets he came 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to this demonstration. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He'd been shot in the foot 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with a rubber bullet. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He is okay. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Not all the settlers and the soldiers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are acting this way. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We're talking about a tiny minority, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but they have to be brought to justice. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This clips, and others like them, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 forced the army and the police to start investigations. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They've been shown in Israel, of course, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the Israeli public was exposed to them also. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This project redefined the struggle for human rights 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the Occupied Territories, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and we managed to reduce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the number of violent attacks 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the West Bank. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The success of this project got me thinking 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how I can take the same methodology 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to other places in the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, we tend to believe that today, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with all of the technology, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the smartphone and the Internet, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we are able to see and understand 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 most of what's happening in the world, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and people are able to tell their story, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but it's only partly true. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Until today, with all the technology we have, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 less than half of the world's population 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 has access to the Internet, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and more than three billion people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 — I'm repeating the number, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 three billion people — are consuming news 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that is censored by those in power. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 More or less around the same, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm approached by a great guy named Uri Fruchtmann. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He's a filmmaker and an activist. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We understood we are thinking along the same line, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and we decided to establish Videre, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our organization, together. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 While building the organization in London, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we've been traveling undercover to places 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where community was suffering from abuses, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where mass atrocities were happening, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and there was a lack of reporting. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We tried to understand how we can help. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There were four things that I learned. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The first thing is that we have to engage 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with communities that are living in the rural areas, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where violations are happening far from the public eyes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We need to partner with them, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and we need to understand which images 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are not making it out there 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and help them to document them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The second thing I learned 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is that we have to enable them to film 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in a safe way. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Security has to be the priority. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Where I used to work before, in the West Bank, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 one can take a camera out, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 most likely not going to get shot, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but in places we wanted to work, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 just try to pull a phone out, and you're dead, literally dead. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is why we decided 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to take the operation undercover 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when necessary, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and use mostly hidden cameras. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Unfortunately, I can't show you the hidden cameras we're using today 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for obvious reasons, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but this is cameras we used before. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You can buy them off the shelf. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Today, we're building a custom-made 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 hidden camera, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 like the one that Mary was wearing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in her dress to film the intimidation meeting 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the ruling political party. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a camera that nobody can see 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that blends into the environment, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 into the surroundings. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, filming securities go beyond 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 using hidden cameras. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Being secure starts way before 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the activist is turning the camera on. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 To keep our partners safe, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we work to understand the risk of every location 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and of every shot before it's happened, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 building a backup plan if something goes wrong, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and make sure we have everything in place 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 before our operations start. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The third thing I learned 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is the importance of verification. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You can have an amazing shot of atrocity, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but if you can't verify it, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it's worth nothing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Recently, like in the ongoing war in Syria 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or the war in Gaza, we've seen images 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that are staged or brought from a different conflict. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This misinformation destroys 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the credibility of the source, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and it's harmed the credibility of other 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 reliable and trustworthy sources. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We use a variety of ways to make sure 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we can verify the information 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and we can trust the materials. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's starting with vetting the partners, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 understanding who they are, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and working with them very intensively. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How do you film a location? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You film road signs, you film ???, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you film newspapers. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We are checking maps, looking maps, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 double-checking the information, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and looking also at the metadata 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the material. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, the fourth and the most important thing I learned 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is how you use images to create 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a positive change. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 To have an effect, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the key thing is how you use the material. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Today, we're working with hundreds of activists 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 filming undercover. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We work with them both 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to understand the situation on the ground 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and which images are missing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to describe it.