Undertaking Effective Investigations A Guide for National Human Rights Institutions If it is ultimately agreed that the NHRI will provide written questions to someone, it is important to make sure that the person knows what weight will be attached to any responses provided. In other words, given that it is a poor method of interviewing, it is good practice to make it clear that little weight may be attached to the answers given. There are exceptions to the rule. Written questions may be helpful where the objectivity and credibility of the agency or organization responding are not a matter of concern. For example, it may be an efficient way clarifying a question with an expert witness that has already been interviewed or provided a report. 6. E-MAIL INTERVIEWS Interviewing someone in real time by e-mail can be useful. It is quick, cheap and produces a written record that can be attributed to the person’s e-mail address, should the identity of the respondent ever become an issue. In addition, the response is immediate and that minimizes the opportunity for collusion and the crafting of answers. However, e-mail interviews have all the disadvantages of telephone interviews, including uncertainty as to who may be responding and who may be with them. Further, e-mail may not be an option in circumstances where access to a computer is or could be a problem. E-mail does work well for follow-up questions from face-to-face interviews. These are interviews where there are no concerns over credibility, concoction or identity. They do not have to be undertaken in real time, normally simply involving a few brief questions to clarify matters that the interviewer forgot to ask during the original interview, or concerning issues of which they were not aware at the time the original interview was conducted. 7. QUESTIONNAIRES AND SURVEYS If there are a large number of possible witnesses, it is worth considering developing a questionnaire or a survey that covers the main issues, if that is a practical option. A questionnaire is a halfway step between the witness canvassing process discussed previously and taking a full statement from all the witnesses. Once completed, the responses can be used to identify those witnesses who the investigator might want to interview in more depth. Questionnaires and surveys are an approach that can work especially well when investigating systemic issues that may impact hundreds or thousands of people. It may also work to identify issues and witnesses in investigations of historical issues. While each questionnaire should be tailored to meet the individual requirements and circumstances of the issue(s) under investigation, the following general guidelines should be followed. • Explain who is doing the investigation and what is being investigated. • Be careful how the questions are framed. Any hint of bias will erode credibility. • Keep it simple. Ask for basic information, not a detailed account. That should be left for a formal interview. • Do not create expectations that cannot be met. • Do not make it too labour-intensive. • Ensure that contact information for the NHRI is included. • Ask for detailed contact information, including a preferred way of getting in touch. 52