Undertaking Effective Investigations A Guide for National Human Rights Institutions Chapter 9: Preliminary research KEY QUESTIONS • What steps should the interviewer take to make sure the issues are fully understood? • What should the interviewer know about the person being interviewed before the interview takes place? 1. INTRODUCTION Preparation is a key principle of effective interviewing. The more important the witness is to what is being investigated, the more time should be spent preparing. For example, interviewing a senior military officer about allegations of systemic human rights abuses during a military campaign he commanded would involve far more preparation time than interviewing one of 30 bystanders who caught a fleeting glimpse of an alleged kidnapping of an activist who has since “disappeared”. 2. LEARNING ABOUT THE ISSUE(S) An investigator should try to be as knowledgeable as possible about the interview subject before the interview takes place. In some cases, that can be very difficult to do, especially if the investigation takes place in the immediate aftermath of an event, when the issue(s) may not yet be clear. However, as far as possible, detailed preparation should involve: • obtaining, reading and understanding any relevant documents before the interview starts • understanding the structure and culture of the organization being investigated, particularly if it is a large bureaucracy such as a government agency or a military body • understanding the context of whatever it is being investigated, including political, economic and cultural considerations • reviewing any previous complaints and/or investigations involving the same organization. 3. LEARNING ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE The investigator should attempt to know as much as possible about the person they are interviewing, at least in so far as it relates to the issues under investigation. This could include: • knowing their title, including the correct spelling • determining specific areas of responsibility and reporting relationships • establishing any relevant career history • identifying any other relationship or interest that may be relevant to the investigation • reading every piece of documentation gathered during the investigation to date that refers to the interviewee and was generated by, sent by or sent to them 58