tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88668568235792756952024-02-21T02:11:55.127-08:00Archivists for Human RightsThe use of archives to promote social justice and respect for human rights is a common point amongst the professionals of archives. Sadly, History bears evidence as to the use of archives as tools of control and repression: Franco, Stasi or the latin-american dictatorships spring to mind as harrowing examples of the devastating effects that archives can produce when used in this way...
This Blog attempts to be another contribution to the fight for the cause of Human RightsGustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-63516568917995489862014-11-15T03:06:00.000-08:002014-11-15T03:06:09.273-08:00Records of the UN War Crimes Commission open to the public for the first time<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0">Tuesday 11th November 2014, a discussion panel took place at the UN HQ in New York on the United Nations War Crimes Commission Records (1943-1949).</span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0"><br /></span></span>
<i><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">"The United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) was operational between 1943 and 1948 and played a vital role in preparing the ground for the war crimes trials that followed the Second World War. The evidence was submitted by 17 member nations for evaluation so that war criminals could be arrested and prosecuted. </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">The archive also contains records of trials carried out in various Member States and presented to the Commission, including national military tribunals and the Military Tribunal of the Far East (Tokyo Trials). </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">This panel will bring together experts to discuss the content of these archival documents, their impact on the development of international law and the International Criminal Court, as well as their potential use by and value to students and academics. A full copy of the records of the Commission was provided to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in July of this year; they were not freely open to the public earlier. </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Opening remarks: </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Ms. Hua JIANG, Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Department of Public Information; </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">H.E. Mr. Asoke Kumar MUKERJI, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Panellists:</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Mr. Adama DIENG, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide; </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Ms. Bridget SISK, Chief, United Nations Archives and Records Management Section; </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Mr. Patrick J. TREANOR, Former member of the Office of Special Investigations, the United States Department of Justice; </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Mr. Dan PLESCH, Director, The Centre for Diplomatic Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS, University of London; </span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;" /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;">Mr. Henry MAYER, Senior Adviser on Archives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. </span></i><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16.5px;"><i>Moderator: Ms. Edith LEDERER, United Nations Correspondent for The Associated Press"</i></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0"><br /></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><a class="" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377764742737:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="http://webtv.un.org/watch/united-nations-war-crimes-commission-records-1943-1949-past-present-and-future-panel-discussion/3886628590001" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">http://webtv.un.org/.../united-nations-war.../3886628590001</a></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><i><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0">"Speaking at the panel discussion, United Nations War Crimes Commission Records (1943-1949): Past, Present and Future, Adama Dieng, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, underscored the importance of acknowledging the Commission’s legacy in terms of dealing with war crimes today.</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$13:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$15:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$16:0">“The United Nations War Crimes Commission was an important international justice initiative, but its work has largely remained in the darkness,” Mr. Dieng said.</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$17:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$19:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$20:0">Noting the significance of getting nations to agree so many years ago on setting up a central authority to investigate and make recommendations on war crimes, Mr. Dieng said the release of the archives to the public also represents a significant reminder of the importance of gathering and keeping records and bringing perpetrators of war crimes to justice.</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$21:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$23:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$24:0">“The failure to hold those accountable can break down the social fabrics of society and perpetrate mistrust,” he said, adding: “A fragmented or frustrated society is a society that is more likely to return to violence.”</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$25:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$27:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0">The archives of the War Crimes Commission contain evidence submitted by 17 Member States, including lists of alleged war criminals, files of charges brought against them, minutes of meetings, reports, correspondence, trial transcripts, and related documentation about the activities of the Commission, its committees, and individuals identified as alleged war criminals, including evidence compiled against them and records related to their prosecution by national tribunals.</span></i></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$32:0"><i>Although some of the information in the documents has long been known to investigators and historians, prior to the Commission’s records being made available to the Museum, the public was unable to view the documents. Researchers at the UN, for instance, must petition for access through their governments."</i></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0">Hopefully this announcement will attract greater attention to the holdings of the UN Archives:<br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$33:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$35:0" /><i><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$36:0">In an interview with UN Radio, one of the panellists of today’s roundtable, Bridget Sisk, Chief of the UN Archives and Records Management Section, underscored the significance of ensuring that a record of what occurred during the Commission’s time of operation is kept. </span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$37:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$39:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$40:0">“We hope that the interest that’s been generated in the archives of the War Crimes Commission will stimulate greater research in the UN’s archives,” she stressed.</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$41:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$43:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$44:0">“We have archives spanning 108 years of history. But we also hope that it stimulates some momentum in the Organization among stakeholders to make sure that the digital records that the Organization is creating today of bodies such as the Commission are created and managed appropriately,” she added.</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$45:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$47:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$48:0">Speaking during the roundtable, Ms. Sisk highlighted that most of the charges discussed in the Commission’s records have never been subjected to judicial review.</span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$49:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$51:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$52:0">She also noted that the rules regarding access to the records were not seriously challenged until 1986, when “intense pressure” led the Secretariat to a review of the policy following allegations that Kurt Waldheim, who served as UN Secretary-General from 1972 to 1981, had himself committed atrocities during the Second World War. </span><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$53:0" /><br data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$55:0" /><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0">Even today, Ms. Sisk said, the number of requests to the UN for access to the Commission’s records is “strikingly low,” averaging five or fewer per year."</span></i></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><a class="" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49313" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49313</a></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><a href="http://www.unwcc.org/documents/">http://www.unwcc.org/documents/</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0">A part of the UNWCC holdings are accessible online through the ICC Legal Tools Database:</span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span style="background-color: white; color: #00275d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: justify;"><i>"The ICC Legal Tools Database has made available virtually all of the unrestricted records of the United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC), including its Far Eastern and Pacific Sub-Commission, and its three committees.</i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span style="background-color: white; color: #00275d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span style="background-color: white; color: #00275d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: justify;"><i>More than 2,240 UNWCC documents, totalling 22,184 pages, with search data for each document, have been added to the ICC Legal Tools Database. The records include meeting minutes from the Commission and its subordinate bodies, their working documents, and materials from the Research Office (which contain the Office’s own reports and reports from national and Allied authorities). Also included are a small but wide-ranging portion of the war crimes trial reports sent to the Commission by national authorities (Australia, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands and Norway)."</i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span style="background-color: white; color: #00275d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><a href="http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/Pages/pr925.aspx">http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/Pages/pr925.aspx</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0">All holdings are open for public consultation in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington D.C.:</span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<i>"The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington has obtained a full copy of the U.N. War Crimes Commission archive that has largely been locked away for the past 70 years under restricted access at the United Nations. On Thursday, the museum will announce it has made the entire digital archive freely available to visitors in its research room.</i><br />
<i><br />Although information in the documents has long been known to investigators and historians, the public was kept out. Even researchers at the U.N. must petition for access through their governments."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/17/holocaust-museum-acquires-copy-un-war-crimes-archive-from-wwii-will-give-public/">http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/17/holocaust-museum-acquires-copy-un-war-crimes-archive-from-wwii-will-give-public/</a><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><a href="http://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/overview/archives">http://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/overview/archives</a></span></span></span><br />
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3" style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$28:0"><span data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377771622909:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$56:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6n.1:3:1:$comment10205377761422654_10205377772022919:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><br /></span></span></span></span>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-10171085544910160872014-08-08T03:25:00.000-07:002014-08-08T03:25:39.373-07:00Khmer Rouge leaders guilty of crimes against humanity and jailed for life<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9WqWrPXkuaVDiOTL0gBA7He6Gyu9d2I7rGV9Io86Ez403WVjPwEnJVVgKMcDT8FKs44xf6rFBDe1QKvXf_0BU63khl6RxQb6KAW36PTH73GJH6Hzew-5iu5zT_yxy7x3lBIklPsoZNhE/s1600/Killing+Fields.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9WqWrPXkuaVDiOTL0gBA7He6Gyu9d2I7rGV9Io86Ez403WVjPwEnJVVgKMcDT8FKs44xf6rFBDe1QKvXf_0BU63khl6RxQb6KAW36PTH73GJH6Hzew-5iu5zT_yxy7x3lBIklPsoZNhE/s320/Killing+Fields.jpg" /></a>
<i>"A UN-backed war crimes tribunal has found the Khmer Rouge’s Brother No 2 Nuon Chea and former head of state Khieu Samphan guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced the two elderly men to life imprisonment, in a move heralded by human rights groups as a “historic victory” for the nation.
The verdict comes nearly 40 years after the regime led by Pol Pot ended its murderous four-year reign over Cambodia, during which time nearly 2 million people – a quarter of the population – died from starvation, exhaustion, execution or lack of medical care as a result of the communist “utopia” experiment.
Khieu Samphan, 83, known as “Mr Clean” for his reported incorruptibility, and Nuon Chea, 88, the Khmer Rouge’s chief ideologue, were both charged with crimes against humanity, homicide, torture, genocide and religious persecution, all committed during a regime that forced Cambodia into “a state of terror”, according to the tribunal’s chief judge Nil Nonn."</i>
The tribunal is the so-called "Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia" (ECCC) which represents a hybrid model of International Criminal Justice. Instead of an international criminal tribunal it's a cambodian court that receives international assistance from the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT).
<i>"In 1997, the government requested the United Nations (UN) to assist in establishing a trial to prosecute the senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge. In 2001, the Cambodian National Assembly passed a law to create a court to try serious crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime 1975-1979. This court is called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea (Extraordinary Chambers or ECCC). The government of Cambodia insisted that, for the sake of the Cambodian people, the trial must be held in Cambodia using Cambodian staff and judges together with foreign personnel. Cambodia invited international participation due to the weakness of the Cambodian legal system and the international nature of the crimes, and to help in meeting international standards of justice.
An agreement with the UN was ultimately reached in June 2003 detailing how the international community will assist and participate in the Extraordinary Chambers. This special new court was created by the government and the UN but it will be independent of them. It is a Cambodian court with international participation that will apply international standards." </i>
http://www.eccc.gov.kh/en/about-eccc/introduction
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3-E414W0KKePh21gFAf0hmVENEeTR22g9pAGZ3MmGgFibzfZeo6_hhGOuSMP8M0rlvz-EThOKciWHYRW3UyYoBtR_wnPwkIvc6E5GC2LnSRFHO8_C3uwz74LRDAYS3eJJkkQlHT5F3rP/s1600/Tuol+Sleng.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3-E414W0KKePh21gFAf0hmVENEeTR22g9pAGZ3MmGgFibzfZeo6_hhGOuSMP8M0rlvz-EThOKciWHYRW3UyYoBtR_wnPwkIvc6E5GC2LnSRFHO8_C3uwz74LRDAYS3eJJkkQlHT5F3rP/s320/Tuol+Sleng.jpg" /></a>
Why was this model chosen? the website from ECCC tells us that <i>"the hybrid tribunal model is seen as a way to provide full national involvement in the trials while at the same time ensuring that international standards are met. Unlike tribunals for Rwanda or the former Yugoslavia, these trials are not removed from the place where the crimes occurred. They are held in Cambodia, conducted mainly in Khmer, open to participation by Cambodian people and reported via local television, radio and newspapers"</i>
<i>"The tribunal, launched in 2006 and once heralded as a great opportunity for Cambodia to confront its bloody past, has been bogged down by allegations of corruption and incompetence, spending up to the present day some $200m to convict only one defendant: the Khmer Rouge prison director Kaing Guek Eav, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011.
Illness and death have prevented other defendants from standing trial. Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, who both face an upcoming genocide trial, originally shared the dock with Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary, who died in March, and his wife Ieng Thirith, the social affairs minister, who has dementia and was declared unfit for trial in 2012. The group’s top leader, Pol Pot, died in 1998.
Despite the problems that have plagued the court, Lars Olsen, the court’s spokesman, called the verdict “a historic day” for both the people and legal system of Cambodia.
“The victims have waited 35 years for legal accountability, and now that the tribunal has rendered a judgment, it is a clear milestone.”
</i>
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/khmer-rouge-leaders-guilty-of-crimes-against-humanity-and-jailed-for-life
Here a link to a video about the ECCC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b99IkHqt6aQ
ECCC website: http://www.eccc.gov.kh/en
UNAKRT website: http://www.unakrt-online.org/
You can find more information in this article: Michelle CASWELL. ¨Khmer Rouge archives: accountability, truth and memory in Cambodia¨. Archival science, Vol. 10, No. 1 (2010)
Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-59183418654280829732014-03-13T12:55:00.000-07:002014-03-13T12:58:44.071-07:00Spain. Why Transparency when you can have Opacity instead?Spain has been in the last few months the star in a number of cases that have highlighted the difficulties in abandoning a traditional culture of secrecy and embracing the kind of transparency and freedom of information that we associate with democracies. It started in September 2013 with the announcement that the the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disappearances/Pages/DisappearancesIndex.aspx">http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disappearances/Pages/DisappearancesIndex.aspx</a><br />
would look at the measures taken by Spain and “analyze in particular issues related to truth, justice, reparation and memory for victims of enforced disappearances.”
<a href="http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/09/19/inenglish/1379610567_137589.html">http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/09/19/inenglish/1379610567_137589.html</a>
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The announcement came <i>the day after an Argentinean judge issued international arrest warrants for four former mid-level officers who are accused of torturing Spaniards during the later years of Franco’s dictatorship. The Buenos Aires court opened an investigation into the crimes based on the universal justice doctrine after the victims and their families filed a lawsuit in 2010</i>.
<a href="http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/09/19/inenglish/1379607609_049738.html">http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/09/19/inenglish/1379607609_049738.html</a><br />
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In October 2013, the spanish conservative government was rebuked by the UN Panel: <i>"UN envoys Jasminka Dzumhur and Ariel Dulitzky informed Spain’s government that it should “take on its responsibility” and draw up “a national plan to search for the missing,” revoke the 1977 Amnesty Law and pave the way for cases of forced disappearance to be judged in the courts.
The UN group reminded Spain that such crimes have no statute of limitations and called for the state to meet its “international obligations,” and to carry through to court the 114,000 counts of forced disappearance listed in suspended High Court Judge Baltasar Garzón’s 2008 universal justice suit.
The envoys expressed disappointment that no such investigation is currently underway and that judges habitually decline to visit mass graves when informed of their discovery. They also insisted that Spain provide “every legal assistance” to investigations which are opened in other countries, such as has recently been the case in Argentina, and to embrace the concept of universal justice; Spain restricted its own judicial remit solely to cases involving Spanish nationals in 2009.
The search for those who were arrested and executed by the Franco regime should not be seen as “a task to be carried out by families but an obligation of the Spanish state,” the envoys concluded. As a starting point, the UN recommended adopting Gárzon’s proposal that “the greatest institutional and financial aid” be afforded to the families of victims.
Dzumhur and Dulitzky also noted that the level of official support depends entirely on which party is governing a region. The experts visited Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia and the Basque Country and found that in some “the authorities assume responsibility for exhumations” while in others they are “completely oblivious” to the matter.
In the same vein, the envoys criticized the “resistance” at institutional level over declassifying certain documents and the obstacles thrown up when families attempt to access essential information. “It depends entirely on the will of the individual public employee; we propose a law governing access to information that guarantees the right to know the truth.”</i>
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Far from moving in this direction, the spanish government moved to impulse in February 2014 a swift legal reform that limited the power of spanish judges to pursue human right violations beyond the spanish border based on the concept of Universal Justice: <i>"Spain's MPs voted on Tuesday to push forward with a bill that limits the power of Spanish judges to pursue criminal cases outside the country, a move that human rights organisations said would end Spain's leading role as an enforcer of international justice.
Last month, the ruling People's party (PP) tabled a fast-track legal change to curb the use of universal jurisdiction, a provision in international law that allows judges to try cases of human rights abuses committed in other countries. Since being adopted into Spanish law nearly two decades ago, the doctrine has allowed Spanish judges to reach beyond their borders and investigate serious human rights abuses in countries such as Argentina, Rwanda and Guatemala."</i>
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/spain-end-judges-trials-foreign-human-rights-abuses">http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/spain-end-judges-trials-foreign-human-rights-abuses</a><br />
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To complete this dismal panorama, the government blocked in Parliament the initiative to open the access to the historical archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (that have been subjected to security classification since 2010) and military files from 1936 to 1968 which are still classified
<a href="http://www.acal.es/index.php/noticias/1006-el-pp-bloquea-en-el-congreso-abrir-a-los-investigadores-archivos-historicos-diplomaticos-y-militares">http://www.acal.es/index.php/noticias/1006-el-pp-bloquea-en-el-congreso-abrir-a-los-investigadores-archivos-historicos-diplomaticos-y-militares</a><br />
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This has led "El Pais" to speak about "Why Top Secret in Spain is forever": <i>"British historians have had their chance to stick their noses into what were once the most top secret records from the Falklands War (1982). The latest disclosure was a ream of private papers kept by the recently deceased former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, which reveals dissent among Conservatives over the war. But Spanish historians are not allowed the slightest peek at documents pertaining to significantly older military conflicts, such as the Ifni conflict (1957-58) or the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). All this classified information is still kept under lock and key in military archives, where access is intermittent and arbitrary.
Former Defense Minister Carme Chacón, of the Socialist Party, tried to partly redress this lack of transparency by proposing to declassify 10,000 records of events that took place between 1936 and 1968, and which no longer posed a threat to the security of the state. These included documents about concentration camps and work battalions created by the Franco regime right after winning the Civil War; government policy on the Spanish protectorate in Morocco; projects for weapons manufacturing prior to 1968; operations in the former Spanish province of Sidi Ifni in North Africa; and finding crews for Italian and German war ships at Spanish ports during WWII.
But her initiative never reached the Cabinet. General elections held in November 2011 handed power over to the conservative Popular Party (PP), although sources in the former Defense Ministry team say that "internal work was already completed" before that, and that the delay getting the project approved was just a problem of "scheduling."
This timid attempt at greater historical transparency dissolved completely under the current Popular Party government."
<a href="http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/05/10/inenglish/1368190494_378347.html">http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/05/10/inenglish/1368190494_378347.html</a>
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</i>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-45569240738124417842013-01-28T20:30:00.000-08:002013-01-28T20:30:00.235-08:00Archives of Dictatorships Colloquium. Pierrefitte-sur-Seine (I)I had the pleasure to attend the Colloquium on Archives of Dictatorships organized by CECOJI and SIAF (Interministerial Service of French Archives) at the impressive new building of the French National Archives located at the outskirts of Paris, at Pierrefitte-sur-Seine. The colloquium was held from 24 to 25 January 2013.
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<a href="http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/pierrefitte/index.html"></a>
CECOJI (Centre of Studies for the International Juridical Cooperation) was founded in 1995 and associates the University of Poitiers and the CRNS (National Center for Scientific Research) the main public research institution in France.
<a href="http://www.cecoji.cnrs.fr/spip.php?rubrique1"></a>
CECOJI specializes in several fields, including human rights and international law. Therefore, the colloquium paid special attention to the confluence of human rights and international law in a controversial field such as the one presented by the archives of dictatorships and authoritarian governments (such as Vichy France).
SIAF replaces since 2009 the Direction of French Archives as directing body of the French Public Archives. SIAF belongs to the French Ministry of Culture.
<a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_interminist%C3%A9riel_des_archives_de_France"></a>
I will try to cover the main issues treated at this interesting Colloquium in a series of posts, to avoid lengthy narrativesGustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-64991956115186845842013-01-23T08:15:00.000-08:002013-01-23T08:15:09.718-08:00Back on the road again...After a long time of silence (too many personal changes...) I'll try to reactivate this Blog. An interesting Colloquium on "Archives of Dictatorships" held at the new building of the French National Archives at Pierrefite-sur-Seine will provide the perfect excuse. Stay tuned!
<a href="http://www.cecoji.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article253"></a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-45673946064288194652012-05-18T10:37:00.000-07:002012-05-18T10:38:06.586-07:007 archivist positions published for the International Residual Mechanism for UN Criminal TribunalsThe International Residual Mechanism for the UN Criminals Tribunals established in December 2010 <a href="http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sc10141.doc.htm"></a>is publishing 7 archivist positions. After publishing back in December 2011 a Chief Archivist (P-5) position based in The Hague, the Residual Mechanism is now publishing a Chied Deputy Archivist (P-4) position based in Arusha and a set of three positions each for both Arusha and The Hague: Archivist, Digital Archivist and Audiovisual Archivist, all of them at the P-3 level. Really a remarkable feat for a truly ambitious project.
<a href="http://goinginternationalinarchives.blogspot.com/2012/05/job-opening-job-title-deputy-chief.html"></a>
<a href="http://goinginternationalinarchives.blogspot.com/2012/05/archivist-digital-archivist-and.html"></a>
<a href="http://goinginternationalinarchives.blogspot.com/2012/05/archivist-digital-archivist-and_18.html"></a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-45554732458920372232012-04-30T18:20:00.000-07:002012-04-30T18:20:52.765-07:00University of Connecticut Libraries, Curator of Human Rights CollectionsPosition Announcement
Title:
University Librarian II (UCP 7) or University Librarian III (UCP 9)
Department:
Library Dodd Center
Search #:
2012498
Campus/Location: Storrs Campus
Position Summary
Working in a team environment, the Curator of Human Rights performs curatorial work in support of Archives & Special Collections programs in the collecting area of Human Rights. Following established departmental procedures the curator acquires and processes archival collections and works closely with donors and potential donors. S/he works in close cooperation with other Curators, the Team Leader and subject Librarians to plan and establish area goals and to ensure that established collection and public service goals are met. The curator serves as primary contact to the Human Rights Institute. The curator provides in-person and written reference services and responds to requests to use human rights collections and materials, including determining access and intellectual property rights relating to access. Evening and/or weekend hours are occasionally required.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Collection Development
- Performs curatorial duties for the Human Rights collections in all formats.
- Serves as the primary contact with current and potential collection donors.
- Prepares reformatted and born-digital material for ingest into the digital repository, including metadata and file format normalization.
- Creates and maintains metadata and finding aids for the collections within his/her curatorial areas in accordance with area and professional best practices.
- Develops and/or furthers knowledge of electronic resources, reference and specialized sources in the Human Rights.
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- Assists in selecting human rights materials for library collections in collaboration with the appropriate subject Librarians.
2. Reference Service
- Provides assistance to researchers using collections on site, electronically and by mail to ensure proper and appropriate use of unique materials.
- Develops and maintains reference materials online to support research and teaching needs.
- Provides general reference services at the Reading Room reference desk as assigned.
3. Instructional Service
- When requested, develops and presents instructional programs for University faculty and students on the significance and use of collections in the curatorial area.
- Develops instructional seminars, guides, bibliographies, brochures, handouts and online materials that teach the use of archival and library resources that support collections in the curatorial area.
4. Academic Liaison
- Maintains regular contact with faculty as appropriate; attends and participates in Human Rights Institute meetings and public programs where appropriate.
- Assists in selecting human rights materials for library collections in collaboration with the appropriate subject Librarians.
5. Team Development
- Attends and participates in area and team meetings.
- Works closely with other members of the Archives & Special Collections team to plan for the area's functional operations, to ensure that team goals and objectives are met, and to achieve an efficient and collegial team environment.
- Responsible for establishment and expenditure of endowment funds as appropriate and related to her/his curatorial areas.
6. Professional Service and Professional Development
- Participates in ASC and Library programs.
- Contributes to the life of the University.
- Participates in appropriate professional activities.
- Represents the University in appropriate professional associations, consortia and projects.
7. Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
1. A graduate degree in Library or Information Science from a program accredited by the American Library Association.
2. Understanding of issues and challenges relating to human rights documentation.
3. Three years experience in an academic library, archives, or related institution.
4. Two years experience working with digital content in a repository or archival setting.
5. Ability to work independently, identifying problems, implementing revisions and changes to policies and creating and implementing new policies.
6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
7. Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based environment.
Additional Qualifications for Appointment as Librarian III:
1. Six years experience in an academic library, archives, or related institution.
2. Three years experience working with digital content in a repository or archival setting.
Preferred Qualifications:
1. Experience with digital content management and digital curation.
2. Demonstrated work or field experience in human rights documentation.
3. 3-6 years experience in an academic research library or archives.
4. Experience working with archiving web and/or social media resources.
5. 1-3 years of archival experience, including for example reference, arrangement and description, or digital curation.
6. Experience with Archivists Toolkit or similar collections management application.
7. Undergraduate or graduate degree in human rights or related field.
8. Significant contributions to the archival or library profession including professional committee membership or publications.
Appointment Terms
This is a full-time, permanent position. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience and includes a full benefits package.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter addressing your qualifications for the position, a current resume, and names and contact information for three references via Husky Hire.
This job posting is scheduled to close on 5/25/2012.
The University of Connecticut is an EEO/AA employer.Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-60664454757437959752011-11-28T11:12:00.000-08:002011-11-28T11:12:35.761-08:00DECLARATORIA DE BOGOTÁ DE LOS ARCHIVOS DEL SECTOR DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS - NOVIEMBRE 2011<div align="left"></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">ARCHIVEROS SIN FRONTERAS - COLOMBIA Bogotá D.C. - Colombia <a href="mailto:info@asfcolombia.org">info@asfcolombia.org</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">En el marco de la I JORNADA DE ARCHIVOS DEL SECTOR DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS: Investigación, Memoria, Desclasificación, Políticas y Acceso, organizada por Archiveros sin Fronteras - Colombia y realizada en Bogotá el 22 de noviembre de 2011, se abordó el tema central de los archivos de los derechos humanos y su relación con la investigación para la reconstrucción de la memoria histórica, el acceso, la transparencia y la desclasificación de los documentos. </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">National Security Archive</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">. </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">National Security Archive</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">, Proyecto Profis GIZ, Redes Locales Ciudadanas, Soft & Di, y la Universidad Externado de Colombia. </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><br />
DECLARATORIA DE BOGOTÁ DE LOS ARCHIVOS DEL SECTOR DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS - NOVIEMBRE 2011 </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">1. Reglamentar con un enfoque diferencial el tratamiento técnico de los archivos del sector de los derechos humanos, tanto públicos como privados, que permita su pronta organización y utilidad como herramienta para la restitución de los derechos de las víctimas del conflicto armado. <br />
2. Convocar al Archivo General de la Nación de Colombia e instituciones académicas, para que implementen programas de capacitación a las organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales del sector de los derechos humanos, para que sus integrantes puedan apropiarse de los procesos de organización y preservación de sus archivos. <br />
3. Elaborar una guía de orientación para la organización y preservación de los archivos del sector de los derechos humanos, que también incluya el manejo y custodia de todos los soportes que los integran, entre otros: papel, video, audio, fotografía, fílmico, audiovisual, medio magnético, electrónico y análogo.<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">4. Solicitar la participación de personal técnico, tecnólogo y profesional formado en la disciplina archivística, para garantizar una adecuada gestión documental del sector de los derechos humanos. <br />
5. Intervenir los archivos estatales fundamentales para la investigación de graves violaciones de derechos humanos, con el propósito de que sean debidamente organizados y protegidos y que su consulta sea facilitada a las víctimas y a sus apoderados. Se recomienda que esta labor la lidere el Archivo General de la Nación de Colombia. <br />
6. Establecer, en el proceso de reglamentación de la Ley 1448 de 2011 Ley de Víctimas, la delimitación de competencias del Centro de Memoria Histórica y del Archivo General de la Nación, respecto de los archivos del sector de los derechos humanos. <br />
7. Comprender que el proceso de construcción de memoria no puede estar cifrado por una fecha de inicio y que ante la vigencia del conflicto se deben analizar sus manifestaciones en la sociedad actual. <br />
8. Propender por que el proceso de construcción de memoria del conflicto sea liderado por las victimas e involucre a los grupos de memoria que trabajan en las diferentes regiones colombianas. <br />
9. Crear espacios de estudio, análisis y concertación para determinar cuál entidad dentro de la cadena de custodia y bajo qué parámetros, se encargará de los archivos generados por las organizaciones sociales defensoras de los derechos humanos, garantizando la integridad, conservación y accesibilidad contando con la voluntad de las víctimas de publicar sus testimonios. <br />
10. Conminar a las entidades estatales a cumplir con la responsabilidad legal, de salvaguardar los archivos a su cargo, con especial atención al sector de los archivos de derechos humanos. <br />
11. Formular por parte del Gobierno las políticas, planes, programas y normatividad que promueva el derecho de acceso a la información pública, de acuerdo con los estándares internacionales. <br />
12. Propender por que se promulgue una ley de acceso a la información en la que la desclasificación de los documentos, establezca períodos límites de tiempo, con base en el tratamiento especial que requiere la información sensible contenida en estos archivos, atendiendo el derecho a la intimidad, la verdad, la justicia y la reparación. <br />
Esta Declaratoria contribuye al fortalecimiento de la discusión sobre la realidad de los archivos del sector de los derechos humanos en medio de una Justicia Transicional, para la construcción de una política pública acerca del tratamiento técnico de estos archivos. <br />
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Invitamos a toda la sociedad, en especial a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, la comunidad archivística y la academia tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, a adherirse a esta Declaratoria. <br />
</span><table border="1" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="width: 541px;"><tbody>
<tr><td height="25" valign="top" width="25%"><span style="font-size: small;">Nombre <br />
Entidad / Persona natural </span></td><td height="25" valign="top" width="25%"><span style="font-size: small;">Nit / documento identidad </span></td><td height="25" valign="top" width="25%"><span style="font-size: small;">Ciudad </span></td><td height="25" valign="top" width="25%"><span style="font-size: small;">Firma </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span> </b></i></i><br />
Diversos expertos del ámbito nacional e internacional acompañaron el diálogo con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y la academia, para identificar la problemática de los archivos de este sector en cuanto a los aspectos técnicos objeto de la Jornada. Teniendo en cuenta que los archivos de este sector son herramienta para la restitución de los derechos humanos y la recuperación de la memoria histórica, específicamente se trataron temas como la problemática y el papel de los archivos para la defensa de los derechos humanos, los archivos en el marco de la Ley de Victimas, los avances de la Ley de Transparencia que cursa en el Congreso y la experiencia del <br />
Las entidades que participaron en el evento, fueron: Archivo Familia Jorge Eliecer Gaitán, Asociación para la Promoción Social Alternativa MINGA, Centro Alteridad y Derechos Humanos, Centro de Memoria Paz y Reconciliación de la Secretaría de Gobierno de la Alcaldía Mayor de Bogotá D.C., Centro de Investigación Y Educación Popular CINEP, Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo, Comisión Colombiana de Juristas, Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz, Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento – CODHES, Corporación Claretiana Norman Pérez Bello, Corporación Fondo de Solidaridad con los Jueces Colombianos FASOL, Escuela Interamericana de Bibliotecología de la Universidad de Antioquia, Fundación AFFIC Ciencias Forenses al Servicio de la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos, Fundación Karisma, Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa FLIP, Grupo de Normatividad del Archivo General de la Nación de Colombia, Junta de Acción Comunal La Ponderosa, Justapaz Comisión de Paz de CEDECOL, Movimiento Nacional de Victimas, <br />
Los temas fueron analizados y debatidos en cuatro mesas de trabajo. Como resultado se acordó presentar públicamente, ante distintas instancias, las conclusiones reunidas en la siguiente declaratoria para salvaguardar el patrimonio documental que testimonia el conflicto armado vivido en las últimas décadas en Colombia, reconocido en la Ley Víctimas y también para garantizar su organización, acceso y desclasificación.Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-80625071718169257792011-09-13T17:58:00.000-07:002011-09-13T17:58:39.394-07:00Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation is a nonprofit, educational organization seated in The Hague. Founded in 2004 by Elazar Barkan, professor and co-director, Center for Human Rights at Columbia University, and Timothy W. Ryback, deputy secretary general of the Académie Diplomatique Internationale in Paris, the IHJR first operated as a project of the <a href="http://www.salzburgglobal.org/" style="color: #4444aa; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Salzburg Global Seminar</a>. In October 2008, the IHJR was established as an independent institute in The Netherlands. The IHJR continues to work in partnership with the Salzburg Global Seminar. Under Dutch law, the IHJR is a non-profit foundation (stichting) eligible to receive charitable contributions.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.historyandreconciliation.org/">IHJR Web</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The IHJR conducts its programs under the auspices of an international <a href="http://www.historyandreconciliation.org/about/executive.php" style="color: #4444aa; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Executive Committee</a> chaired by The Honorable Richard J. Goldstone, Co-chairman of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association and former chief prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The core of the IHJR activity is the development, funding and execution of multi-year projects and networking initiatives. These are selected by the co-directors in consultation with the Executive Committee. Projects are conceptualized, developed and funded in cooperation with regional partners with local capacity and expertise.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Several key criteria are used in selecting a project or initiative. These include:</div><ul style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">compatibility with the IHJR mission;</li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">the availability of appropriate partners and adequate levels of funding;</li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">the potential to produce practical outcomes, e.g., publications, historical commissions, public forums, or other "products" or activities that contribute to reconciliation processes in the region.</li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The IHJR seeks projects and networking initiatives that can promote positive, forward looking results and intends to inspire others to replicate the work and to build capacity in the region. The themes and modalities for dealing with issues are determined by local and regional partners while the IHJR plays a support and facilitating role.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The IHJR has completed projects for the Middle East and the Former Yugoslavia:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.historyandreconciliation.org/mideast/">Middle East Project</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.historyandreconciliation.org/yugoslavia/">Former Yugoslavia Project</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It has ongoing projects in Haifa, Armenia and Kenya, as well as networking initiatives in East Asia, India-Pakistan, Indonesia, Poland and Ukraine:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 100; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.historyandreconciliation.org/projects/">IHJR Projects</a></div><br />
</span>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-25418798180379245662011-09-13T17:33:00.000-07:002011-09-13T17:33:49.223-07:00Former Stasi employees to be banned from working at Stasi archive<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">The law relating to the records of the State Security Service (Stasi) of the former German Democratic Republic is to be amended, the cultural spokesman for Germany's Free Democratic Party said on Monday.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">Reiner Deutschmann told the regional daily Mitteldeutsche Zeitung that Germany's governing coalition had agreed to add a clause dictating that former Stasi employees are unable to work for the authority that now administers the files compiled by Communist East Germany's secret police.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">Under the new law, "anyone who officially or unofficially worked for the Stasi is not allowed to work for the authority," Deutschmann told the paper.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">It would also retrospectively apply to the 47 former Stasi workers currently working at the archive.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">According to Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, the federal commissioner of the authority, Roland Jahn, has joined the Christian Democratic Union and FDP in advocating this change to the 1991 Stasi Records Act. Since taking the helm in March, Jahn has questioned the continued employment of former Stasi workers, claiming it undermines the credibility of the authority.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">After several failed attempts at encouraging the employees to leave voluntarily, Jahn commissioned a report into the legality of their employment by the Berlin lawyer Johannes Weberling.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;">In the report published in July, Weberling recommend a change in the law, with the proviso that the former Stasi employees currently in the agency should be provided with "equivalent jobs [elsewhere] in the federal administration."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15381477,00.html">Article from Deutsche Welle on Stasi employees ban</a></div>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-32192504697712028642011-06-30T18:25:00.000-07:002011-06-30T18:25:21.855-07:00Cambodia: UN-backed tribunal begins trial against four top Khmer Rouge figuresThree days ago a five-judge panel at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a special Tribunal backed by the United Nations and based in Phnom Penh, began the trial against four of the most senior surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, in power between April 1975 and January 1979.<br />
<a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38857&Cr=cambodia&Cr1">UN-backed Tribunal begins trial in Cambodia</a><br />
<br />
At least 1.7 million Cambodians are estimated to have died from starvation, forced labour, torture and execution during the rule of the Khmer Rouge, which was followed by a protracted period of civil war.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia">Wikipedia Khmer Rouge Rule of Cambodia</a><br />
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The ECCC was set up in 2006 and the UN provides assistance through the UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT) and participates in the operations of the tribunal.<br />
<a href="http://www.unakrt-online.org/01_home.htm">UNAKRT Webpage</a><br />
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Yale University Library has helped the Documentation Center of Cambodia in Phnom Penh to preserve records of the Khmer Rouge state police archives (Santebal)<br />
<a href="http://www.crl.edu/focus/article/493"></a> <a href="http://www.crl.edu/focus/article/493">Preserving Khmer Rouge Archives</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dccam.org/Documentation_Center_of_Cambodia.htm">Website Documentation Center of Cambodia</a><br />
<a href="http://www.yale.edu/cgp/index.html">Cambodian Genocide Program Yale University</a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-77154394093001570162011-06-14T18:45:00.000-07:002011-06-14T18:45:36.423-07:00CRL and LAMP Support Digitization of Brazilian Human Rights CollectionCRL (Center for Research Libraries) and LAMP (formerly the Latin American Microform Project) are supporting the efforts of the Ministério Público Federal in Brazil to digitize nearly one million pages of the collection <em>Brasil: Nunca Mais,</em> which contains court documents (<em>processos</em>) from Brazil’s Military Supreme Court. These proceedings document the cases of over 7,000 persons arrested, convicted, and/or executed by the Court between 1964 and 1979. Copied in secrecy, the official records document human rights violations by the military government in Brazil during this period.<br />
<a href="http://www.crl.edu/news/7300">Brasil: Nunca Mais</a><br />
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The Brazilian military government was the authoritarian regime which ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985. It began after the 1964 coup d'etat led by the Armed Forces against the democratically elected government of left-wing President Joao Goulart. <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_military_government">Brazilian military government Wikipedia</a><br />
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<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Goulart" title="João Goulart"></a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-64899050836290902282011-06-13T14:59:00.000-07:002011-06-13T14:59:53.645-07:00UCLA's Armenian oral histories projectAn interesting article on UCLA's Armenian oral histories project, led by the historian Richard Hovannissian. The Armenian Genocide conducted by the Ottoman Empire is considered the first modern genocide and resulted in at least 1 million deaths. Despite all the existing evidence, the turkish government continues denying the facts to this day...<br />
<a href="http://asbarez.com/96212/toward-an-expanded-notion-of-the-witness-the-promise-of-armenian-oral-history-collections/">Toward an expanded notion of the witness: the promise of armenian oral history collections</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide">Armenian Genocide Wikipedia</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/history/centers/armenian/hovannisian.html">Richard Hovannisian UCLA</a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-86417293728663974032011-06-08T15:22:00.000-07:002011-06-08T15:22:36.400-07:00SALALM Chronicles (I)SALALM is the Seminar on Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials, that is an association of mainly University Librarians that deal with latin american collections. <br />
<a href="http://www.salalm.org/about/index.html">SALALM Website</a><br />
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Despite this focus on Library materials SALALM groups together institutions with rich archives collections and under the leadership of active members like Marisol Ramos, from the University of Connecticut, has been moving steadily towards a greater emphasis on archives.<br />
<a href="http://latinamcaribresources.blogspot.com/">Marisol Ramos' blog</a><br />
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SALALM organized an excellent conference on archives last week at Philadelphia, under the title "<em>Preserving Memory: Documenting and Archiving Latin American Human Rights</em>"<br />
<a href="http://guides.temple.edu/SALALM_LVI">SALALM LVI Website</a><br />
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Peter Kornbluh, the famed analyst from the National Security Archive and author of "<em>The Pinochet File</em>" , delivered an impressive keynote address on "<em>Forensic Archivists and Active Archives: Advancing the Cause of Human Rights in Latin America through Archival Investigation"</em>, a harrowing visit to the dismal backyard of US politics in Latin America, from Guatemala's Truth Commission to the Terror Archives in Paraguay, passing through the dreaded argentinian Battallion 601 and their fumbled Operation Mexico. An awful truth that has only been revealed through the declassification of confidential US records in application of Freedom of Information legislation and the dogged persistence of institutions such as National Security Archive.<br />
<a href="http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/the_archive.html">National Security Archive website</a><br />
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For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of hearing Peter, I've found in YouTube a complete video of the presentation he gave on a similar topic at the University of Oregon on August 2010. Really worth it!<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5JxWRC52Ug">Peter Kornbluh "Information is Power: Access to Archives and Human Rights in Latin America" </a><br />
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Quoting Peter: "Sunlight is the best disinfectant". Never more true...Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-87564627711879400812011-06-07T17:47:00.000-07:002011-06-07T17:47:25.454-07:00Now it turns out that Franco was not a dictator...At least if we pay attention to the biography of the infamous General just published as part of the <i>Spanish Biographical Dictionary</i>, a humongous effort that presents 43,000 biographies in 50 volumes and that has been published by the extremely conservative Spanish Royal Academy of History. The scandal increases because they received 6.4 million euros of public money for such a project...<br />
Not much of a surprise if we consider that the entry on Franco was drafted by Luis Suarez, an specialist in medieval (!) history and also active member of the Francisco Franco Foundation, a private institution devoted to the memory of the dictator...<br />
The biography qualifies Franco as authoritarian and lauds his military prowess. The cold-hearted General that took his time to complete an extermination war that guaranteed a virtual cleansing of Spain and established a fierce dictatorship that lasted nearly 40 years is nowhere to be seen in the pages of this dictionary. I'm afraid this is but the first of the attempts at vindicating his grisly memory that are sure to follow after the half-hearted application of the Law of Historical Memory and the nearly certain political change bound to happen after the incoming 2012 elections...<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/31/spaniards-outraged-favourable-franco-biography">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/31/spaniards-outraged-favourable-franco-biography</a><br />
I enclose the link to the Francisco Franco Foundation just to illustrate the point that such a website would be forbidden in the majority of countries for fascist propaganda...<br />
<a href="http://www.fnff.es/">Website Fundacion Nacional Francisco Franco</a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-39600617746265740892011-06-07T15:24:00.000-07:002011-06-07T15:24:24.956-07:00Archival Policies in the Protection of Human RightsThis Report drafted by Antonio Gonzalez Quintana is an inescapable reference in the field of Archives and Human Rights. Antonio led the UNESCO/ICA group that produced in 1995 a first report on the manegement of the archives of the state security services of Former Repressive Regimes. This report was expanded into the more complete version launched in 2009, whose translation to english was completed by Margaret Turner.<br />
<a href="http://www.ica.org/6458/resources/the-management-of-the-archives-of-the-state-security-services-of-former-repressive-regimes.html">Archival Policies in the Protection of Human Rights</a><br />
Antonio Gonzalez Quintana is an spanish archivist with a long and illustrious career in the Spanish State Archives and Military Archives as well as the NATO Archives Committee. He is currently serving as Deputy Director General of Archives of the autonomous Community of Madrid.Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-2677031599284536052011-06-07T10:19:00.000-07:002011-06-07T10:20:18.355-07:00The Inner Logic of Evil: from East Germany to EgyptA very interesting article from "Der Spiegel" on how Herbert Ziehm, a german expert on the Stasi, is advising Egypt on how to deal with the trove of secret police records found at Amn al-Dawla HQ, the Egyptian State Security Investigations Service. <br />
<a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754856,00.html">http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,754856,00.html</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Security_Investigations_Service">Wikipedia article on Egyptian State Security Investigations Service </a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_the_Stasi_Archives">Wikipedia Article on Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bstu.bund.de/DE/Home/home_node.html">BStU (Bundesbeauftragte für die Stasi-Unterlagen) Website</a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866856823579275695.post-36179459784942470442011-06-06T18:02:00.000-07:002011-06-07T10:20:40.103-07:00Archivists without Borders<b>Archivists without Borders</b> is an <b>NGO</b> created in Barcelona in 1998. It has been quite succesful and active in Europe, Africa and Latin America, but until now the language barrier (the majority of member countries share spanish as a language, except France) has prevented its expansion to english speaking countries. My canadian friends at ACA granted me a great opportunity allowing me to speak about this subject in the <b>ACA Conference</b> that just took place at <b>Toronto</b> and hopefully we will have soon good news in this respect...<br />
Currently there are AwB branches in Spain, France, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Chile. Each branch is independent, but all operate with a common <b>International Charter</b> as reference and under the coordination of an <b>International Coordination Council</b>.<br />
<a href="http://www.arxivers.org/en/index.php">Website of AwB Spain</a><br />
<a href="http://www.arxivers.org/en/documents.php?idCat=23">International Charter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.arxivers.org/docs/Memoria2008_ang.pdf">Annual Report 2008</a>Gustavohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11751030644555174086noreply@blogger.com0