For a Human Rights Defender or journalist, meeting with a source is often a high-risk encounter. Such meetings can expose their identity, and have often been the scene of arrests, intimidation or violence. For this reason, it is vital to put the highest level of planning and preparation into your meeting with vulnerable sources.

Area Assessment

You should choose the area you plan to meet in carefully. It should be an area the person you are meeting (and you if possible) is comfortable in and knows well. If you don’t know it — get to know it. You should be able to plan out your approach, possible escape and nearby safe spots such as partners, supportive local population, and embassies.

In some countries, it is possible to gain a basic understanding of your location without having visited it.

Location Selection

Once you have chosen the area to meet you need to choose the particular meeting location. Often the most obvious locations such as their office/home offer a false sense of security and you can be more likely to be under surveillance there. It may be better to meet in a public place such as a café. In choosing a café, be careful of myths — e.g. All HRDs normally meet in a specific café so it must be safe. Perhaps adversaries know this also. Try to choose a location not frequented by people likely to be targeted by surveillance. If you get the opportunity to visit a location, try to do it at the time you expect to meet (e.g if you visit in the morning it be less busy than when you are meeting in the evening). If you don’t know a location and will not get a chance to see it before you arrive, use the internet to see if you can see pictures of it and gather information about it.

Think about various aspects that may allow you to fit in:

• Who are the clientele who use it?

• What do they wear?

• What size groups do they sit in?

• Are the tables so close to each other that you can be easily overheard?

• When is it busy?

• Is it likely to be crowded?

• What do people normally purchase there?

• Would you look suspicious entering there?

Try to check if there’s there a place to sit where you can observe the whole location but still have your back to a wall and be close to / have a clear path to an escape route. You should always have an alternative backup meeting place nearby and if you feel there is a risk of surveillance or problems at your first choice location, be ready to switch to it at the very last minute.

Plan for the unexpected.

Scenarios to Consider

There are a few scenarios you should play out in your head before you go to your meeting. Some may not put you at any extra risk but it’s useful to have thought them through in advance.

How much information you are going to give the person you are meeting?

What if they pass you something (documents/USB etc.)? Where will you put it to keep it out of sight?

What will you do if your/ their vehicle breaks down or is in a traffic accident?

Will you or they have to travel through checkpoints? If so what is your story?

What if the person is early /late/ arrives unexpectedly with a third party who you don’t know or trust?

What is your contact plan for if the person doesn’t show at all?

What if the person is temporarily insecure — someone else is talking to them, they have been stopped by authorities/ recognised/ are drawing attention to themselves?

What do you expect the person’s reaction to the meeting to be — fear/ anger/ anxiety?

What will you do if you start to get interest from a third party — is it general or threatening?

Observe for surveillance and clear the meeting location before fully committing to it.

Arrival at a Meeting

Ideally all parties would conduct anti- or counter-surveillance when travelling to the meeting (see this article for more information on this). If the person you are meeting is not trained in this, and you are unsure of their security, one of your colleagues may be able to check whether your contact has been followed. You should ensure you are clear before you arrive. If possible you should arrive first and check the area is clear — check the toilets, emergency exits and likely approaches.

Try to sit where you can observe the whole location but still have your back to a wall and be close to/ have a clear path to an escape route. If you have a second colleague available who is not needed in the meeting, they can take a seat nearby with a clear view of you and exits.

Do not commit to staying somewhere by buying something until you are sure you are clear — You might attract suspicion leaving otherwise. Agree a subtle and simple signal to alert your colleague if you feel something is wrong.

Another technique is to change the meeting location at the last minute. When the person being met arrives, switch the locations and use the opportunity to observe for surveillance.

Control the flow of a meeting, trust your instincts and prepare to move quickly if you feel threatened

The Meeting Itself

It is important to keep control of the flow of the meeting. After introductions you should begin by mentioning security to the person: agree on your alternate time and place for the meeting if a problem occurs; let them know what you can and cannot do to help them if there is a problem; agree on a discreet signal in case there is a problem.

Avoid ordering meals and pay for what you do get straight away and in cash — This avoids your identification and allows you to make a speedy exit if needed.

Observe people who enter after the person you are meeting, as well as anyone who sits close to you — use knowledge of surveillance teams to assess them. Always trust your instincts — prepare to leave immediately if you feel something is not right.

Avoid incriminating yourself — If possible, avoid writing on paper altogether if you can — you can always ask for details to be sent via encrypted email later. If notes are necessary, try not to write anything sensitive in the first ten minutes and in general keep the amount of sensitive notes you take/actually record to a minimum whenever possible. Consider using codenames (esp. for testimony or sensitive information). When finished with your notes, always remember to destroy them safely and dispose of it in places away from the meeting location. Do not let waitresses or waiters overhear your conversation.

Eavesdropping equipment is cheap and very hard to detect but you can make yourself a harder target by keeping on the move and being unpredictable.

Eavesdropping

Unfortunately bugging equipment is very cheap, widespread and effective. It is very, very hard to find eavesdropping equipment that has been planted against you. In some countries, many high profile hotels are targets for regular bugging due to the frequent presence of business people, diplomats, NGOs etc.

The best tactic in avoiding such devices is to not become predictable and change locations frequently if you are on high-risk travel and need to avoid surveillance. Be very wary of conducting sensitive activities in fixed locations (such as the office of a partner or a hotel room) for too long or repetitively. Limiting the provision of information in advance (for example, of which rooms will be used for conferences in specific hotels) is also useful as it reduces the time a hostile organisation has to plant a device. Outside in the open air can also be a good place to discuss sensitive matters. Make sure you are not overlooked.

If dealing with sensitive matters, always assume the room is bugged. Ensure that all mobile phones are turned off and batteries removed (as they can be turned on remotely without you knowing and used as a listening device). Masking noises like a loud radio or TV can be useful for reducing overheard conversations, although the most advanced devices can eliminate these extra sounds.

Unplug all unnecessary electronic devices from the electrical sockets. (If possible, turn off the electricity at the mains and check behind all electrical plug and light switch sockets.) Pay particular attention to smoke alarms, lamps, clocks etc. Don’t forget about staff such as cleaners who may be able to overhear what is going on in the room.

Leaving a Meeting

It is best to get the person you are meeting to leave first — that way you can check for any third party reactions to see if they’re clean as they leave. Wait about ten minutes before you leave. If possible your colleague (who should still look unconnected to you) should remain behind for a further ten minutes to check that you are clean.