The Aryeh Neier Center for Justice bridges scholarship and practice by building human rights research skills, developing new investigative methods, and conducting strategic investigations to protect fundamental rights.
Based at Bard College Berlin, the Center trains students and professionals in effective and ethical human rights investigations, supports innovation in research methods, and produces independent, high-quality investigations—alone and with partners—to strengthen justice and the rule of law.
The Center draws inspiration from Aryeh Neier, who fled Nazi Germany as a child in 1939 and went on to lead the American Civil Liberties Union, co-found Human Rights Watch, and run the Open Society Foundations. It honors his legacy by promoting equality, accountability, and universal rights in both democratic and repressive contexts.
Embedded in the global human rights community, the Center works with NGOs, international organizations, media outlets, strategic litigation teams, and responsible private-sector actors. It helps partners by providing specialized research capacity, particularly where data-driven or tech-enabled methods are needed.
To drive innovation, the Center brings together investigators, lawyers, scholars, technologists, data scientists, military and geospatial experts, artists, and designers. Together they develop new ways to document and expose abuses—from machine learning tools to visual storytelling.
Through its teaching, research, and partnerships, the Center connects academic institutions to real-world human rights work. Students and practitioners contribute to active investigations and produce actionable research, strengthening partner capacity and preparing the next generation of human rights professionals.

Teaching students and training practitioners in foundational and tech-driven methods for human rights research and reporting.

Advancing effective and ethical investigative methods and tools through interdisciplinary collaboration

Conducting timely, high-impact investigations—alone and in partnership—into violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Fred Abrahams is a former researcher, director, and senior manager at Human Rights Watch with three decades of experience in crisis response and strategic investigations. As associate program director until 2024, he oversaw the HRW divisions covering Crisis and Conflict, Arms, and Technology—including the Digital Investigations Lab—and led the organization’s research training. He previously worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and has taught and trained widely on human rights, including at Columbia University, the New School, and currently Bard College Berlin. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Der Spiegel, and other publications. He is co-author of A Village Destroyed: War Crimes in Kosovo and author of Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe.
Marija Ristić is an award-winning investigative journalist and human rights researcher, currently serving as Manager in Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Programme, where she leads the Digital Verification Corps. In this role, she spearheads open-source digital investigations, harnessing technologies like photogrammetry, 3D modelling, geospatial mapping, and weapons analysis to document and expose human rights violations.
Prior to joining Amnesty International, Marija led the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), overseeing editorial, operational, and fundraising efforts in 15 countries. Under her leadership, BIRN won numerous awards, including the European Press Prize, and expanded its digital rights and tech-focused programming across Central and South Europe.
Additionally, Marija shares her expertise by teaching open-source research and evidence methods at Bard College Berlin. She is a graduate of Geneva Academy for International Humanitarian Law.