OSINT-based Law Clinic
OSINT-based Law Clinic 2026: Third edition concludes at the University of Padova’s Human Rights Centre
On June 3, 2026, a thrilling moot court marked the conclusion of the 2026 edition of the OSINT-based Law Clinic, organised by the Human Rights Centre and coordinated by Advocate Stefano Trevisan, human rights lawyer and OSINT analyst. Six brilliant students of the master’s degree in Human Rights and Multi-level governance participated in this edition, which ran over the entire Spring semester. As a prerequisite, they also attended a Workshop on Open-Source Investigative Techniques (OSINT) in December 2025.
The student team was assigned the task of drafting a civil complaint before the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia, seeking relief for the killing of a humanitarian worker who died in the Gaza Strip on 1 April, 2024, as a consequence of a drone attack conducted by the Israeli Defence Force, which killed six more humanitarians. Utilising OSINT, they collected and analysed evidentiary materials, finalised a comprehensive report, and drafted a civil complaint which was discussed in the framework in the final moot court.
During the preparatory phase of the Law Clinic, besides the main instructor, the academic supervisor and the assistant fellow, Giuliana Renda, students met in interactive sessions Dan Grefte (European Legal Support Centre), Hector Sharp (UNRWA), Al Borrelli (military expert), Damia Tarrouni (lawyer), Jan Sapoch (Lighthouse Reports), Luca Saltalamacchia (human rights lawyer). The final moot court saw the participation of Adv. Raphael Jacob (as counsel of the defendant party) and Adv. Mikel Delagrange (as the judge).
Participation in this kind of challenge-based learning experience helps students to develop skills of collaborative work, socio-political and legal analysis, digital investigation techniques, and source verification. Students successfully integrated their knowledge into practical applications and analysed the specific case in interaction with scholars, lawyers, expert analysts, and peers, as well as with stakeholders. The acquisition of such competences is certified by the issuing of a dedicated open badge.
As part of the Law Clinic, students also submitted research papers that are available at the links below, in which they present the main technical and legal challenges of their work and reflect about the overall experience. The final investigative report is being used by lawyers in Geneva and Sydney for a “real” civil complaint.
The 2026 OSINT-based student team was composed of Sara Comba, Karim Seaoudy, Ariik Anyieth Ajak, Micaela Isabel Cordova Jaramillo, Mia Mladenovska, and Silvia Juliana Vega Santa.