Heroes
How can digital forensic methods ensure justice and accountability for victims and survivors of human and environmental rights violations?

From the Right Livelihood Award
Forensic Architecture is a pioneering research agency dedicated to uncovering and documenting the truth about environmental and human rights violations using cutting-edge open-source investigation and digital modelling techniques. Based at Goldsmiths, University of London, Forensic Architecture integrates advanced technology with witness and historical accounts to create powerful visual and spatial reconstructions, which have been used as evidence in landmark legal cases worldwide.
Since its founding in 2010, Forensic Architecture has led the development of new methodologies that combine technology with human rights advocacy. They have conducted more than 100 investigations on behalf of affected communities, uncovering truths about events both historic, such as the German colonial genocide in Namibia, and current, like the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in London. Their innovative methodologies not only set new standards for accountability but also assist survivors in processing trauma.
In an era when truth and facts are constantly challenged, including by governments, Forensic Architecture’s work helps usher in a new layer of oversight to ensure accountability, harnessing technology and witness testimony. With a fierce commitment to collaborative work with frontline communities and to developing and disseminating new evidentiary techniques, the organisation’s work has significantly impacted international legal processes and human rights investigations. As such, they help to hold perpetrators accountable and empower communities to seek justice on their own terms.
Headquarters: London, UK
Founded in: 2010
Arts
Rock and roll transformed for the children’s pallette…

“Staying true to my heart gives me a constant continuum of a life well-lived. It chooses me.”
Composer/Singer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer Ray Andersen, was a full time band member of Meat Loaf, as his guitarist, keyboardist, backup singer, from ’98-’02, touring all of Europe and the US and US and European TV shows.
As part of the Asbury Park NJ Stone Pony house band through most of the 80s, he performed with Bruce Springsteen as his backup band, multiple times, as well as many other events. He’s also played keyboards for rock pioneer, Chuck Berry.
He’s recorded music for many national TV commercials including 20 Publishers Clearing House commercials, recorded in his home studio, and in 2023, he recorded the Linda Ronstadt classic hit, “Different Drum,” for the Netflix Top Ten movie, “The Tutor”, starring Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things.
For over 25 years, he has written and performed music for children and families as Mr. RAY…writing, recording and performing original songs with messages of kindness, inclusion, being creative and staying healthy & active. His streams for kids music was over 9 million in 2024.
He recently composed music for a short documentary called “Vienna: Suddenly an Angel,” which was just included in the Garden State Film Festival in March 2025.
In January 2021, Ray became an Official United Nations NGO (a non-governmental, non-political organization) Representative of Pathways To Peace, on behalf of his musical work and message of kindness, diversity and inclusion, with children… an ambassador of peace through his music.
Let’s get right into it. What makes him tick, so that others can talk. (more…)
Heroes
Empowering communities for environmental justice now.

Anabela Lemos is a Mozambican environmental activist and Director of Justiça Ambiental! (JA!), an organisation committed to environmental justice in Mozambique. For over 20 years, Lemos and JA! have fought corporate-led projects that displace communities, damage livelihoods and intensify climate change. The organisation’s leadership in the ‘Say No to Gas Campaign’ has brought international attention to the environmental and human rights violations caused by liquid natural gas (LNG) extraction projects in northern Mozambique.
In addition to grassroots activism, JA! is renowned for its effective global advocacy, particularly against Mozambique LNG, a 24-billion-USD gas extraction project in Cabo Delgado backed by TotalEnergies. The organisation has built alliances with civil society in over 23 countries to challenge this project. By providing critical on-the-ground evidence of the project’s harm to local communities, JA! has exposed human rights violations and corporate crimes, successfully delaying Mozambique LNG’s progress.
Despite operating in a politically oppressive space, Lemos and JA! continue to amplify local voices on the world stage, demonstrating that the fight for environmental justice transcends borders. Their work has empowered communities to defend their rights, paving the way for a future where all people’s environmental and human rights are respected.
Anabela Lemos / Justiça Ambiental!
- Mozambique
Anabela Lemos
- Place of Birth: Maputo, Mozambique
- Date of Birth: February 18, 1953
Justiça Ambiental!
- Headquarters: Maputo, Mozambique
- Founded: 2004
Website: http://ja4change.org/
Heroes
Promoting Palestinian civic action through peaceful means.”

Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights activist who has dedicated his life to peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation in the West Bank city of Hebron. Together with the activist group he founded, Youth Against Settlements (YAS), he has become a leading voice in the non-violent movement, striving to create a future where Palestinians live freely and with dignity. His efforts have garnered international recognition, and his strict commitment to non-violence stands in stark contrast to the violent realities of the Israeli occupation.
Amro and YAS have successfully mobilised local communities and international allies to resist the ongoing Israeli occupation through peaceful means. YAS plays an essential role in documenting human rights violations, organising protests, and supporting local communities in Hebron who live under constant threats and attacks from Israeli settlers and military forces. The group’s initiatives have also served as an inspiration for non-violent resistance in other Palestinian cities under Israeli occupation.
Amro and the group have been under constant pressure from settlers, the Israeli military and also the Palestinian Authority. Amro has been detained, tortured, attacked on the streets, evicted from home and subjected to judicial harassment. However, he has kept his unwavering commitment to non-violent resistance, which he sees as the only way to achieve justice and peace for the people of Palestine.
Issa Amro
- Place of Birth: Hebron, Palestine
- Date of Birth: April 13, 1980
- Education: Palestine Polytechnic University
Youth Against Settlements
- Headquarters: Hebron, Palestine
- Founded in: 2007