Police Commissioner apologises for exposure of CISOCA records - Jamaica Observer (Jamaica Observer, 2025)
Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has issued an apology following the exposure of sensitive records belonging to the police’s Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA)
Jamaica

Authorities pass bill with sweeping controls on social media - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
The amendment Bill was presented in and passed by the National Assembly on 23 January 2025 and referred to the Standing Committee the next day by the Senate after backlash from opposition, media and civil society. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act passed in 2016 triggered widespread criticism from human rights organizations and activists for its potential for harmful impact on the right to freedom of expression and access to information in the country. The nine years since have confirmed these fears as journalists, human rights defenders and political opposition have been targeted under the law. Recently, the authorities have frequently imposed blanket bans on social media platforms and have blocked X, formerly Twitter, since February 2024.
Pakistan

The EU wants to scan every message sent in Europe. Will that really make us safer? - Fotiadis, Apostolis (The Guardian, 2025)
Lawmakers argue that mass surveillance will help to protect children. But the implications for our privacy and security are staggering, says journalist Apostolis Fotiadis
Europe
Keywords: Child protection; Data protection; Digital media; Encryption; Europe; European Union; Media; Society; Surveillance; Technology; World news

Newly discovered photos of Nazi deportations show Jewish victims as they were last seen alive - Gruner, Wolf (The Conversation, 2025)
Descendants of survivors helped researchers identify 279 deportees and tell their stories. ‘We give previously faceless victims a voice,’ says project’s co-founder.
Europe

Don’t Let Autocrats Erase the Internet - Nossel, Suzanne (Foreign Policy, 2025)
Preserving digital archives is a crucial weapon in discrediting and defeating authoritarian regimes.
Worldwide

Burkina Faso collecting Thomas Sankara's archives, artefacts - CGTN Africa (2025)
The Burkinabe government is leading an initiative to restore the memory of Thomas Sankara, who was the leader of the country from 1983 before being assassinated in 1987. Fellow revolutionaries in possession of materials associated with Sankara have been handing them over for national preservation.
Burkin Faso

Meta, WhatsApp win relief as India tribunal suspends data sharing ban - Chaturvedi, Arpan; Chaturvedi, Arpan (Reuters, 2025)
An Indian tribunal temporarily suspended a five-year data sharing ban between WhatsApp and owner Meta Platforms , a major relief for the U.S. giant which had warned its advertising business will be affected.
India

Déclaration du Procureur de la CPI, Karim A.A. Khan K.C. : des mandats d’arrêt requis dans la situation en Afghanistan - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court, 2025)
Aujourd’hui, mon Bureau va déposer deux requêtes aux fins de délivrance de mandats d’arrêt dans la situation en Afghanistan auprès des juges de la Chambre préliminaire II de la Cour pénale internationale.
Afghanistan

Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in Afghanistan - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court, 2025)
Today, I can announce that my Office has filed two applications for warrants of arrest before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court in the Situation in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan

Is TikTok a national security threat – or is the ban a smokescreen for superpower rivalry? - Sabbagh, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Washington looks happy for the video app to harvest users’ data – as long as China does not reap the rewards
United States of America
Keywords: China; Digital media; Donald Trump; Media; Social media; Technology; TikTok; US news; World news

Is TikTok a national security threat – or is the ban a smokescreen for superpower rivalry? - Sabbagh, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Washington looks happy for the video app to harvest users’ data – as long as China does not reap the rewards
China
Keywords: China; Digital media; Donald Trump; Media; Social media; Technology; TikTok; US news; World news

Ethics watchdog issues conflict of interest warning to Musk’s Doge agency - Smith, David (The Guardian, 2025)
American Oversight has raised concerns over ‘department of government efficiency’ using encrypted apps
United States of America
Keywords: Donald Trump; Elon Musk; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Microsoft's LinkedIn sued for disclosing customer information to train AI models - Stempel, Jonathan (Reuters, 2025)
Microsoft's LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers who said the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without permission to train generative artificial intelligence models.
United States of America

Fallen Black South African Soldiers From World War I Finally Remembered - Crystal Orderson (Inter Press Service, 2025)
Despite being the sons of Africa, the hundreds of soldiers who served in non-combat roles between 1914 and 1918 have been unrecognized for decades.
Africa

ICC arrest warrant against Osama Elmasry Njeem for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court (ICC), 2025)
On 18 January 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "the Court"), by majority, issued a warrant of arrest for Mr Osama Elmasry Njeem, also known as Osama Almasri Njeem, in the Situation in Libya. Mr Osama Elmasry Njeem, who is alleged to have been in charge of prison facilities in Tripoli, where thousands of persons were detained for prolonged periods, is suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya from February 2015 onwards.
Libya

Mandat d’arrêt de la CPI à l’encontre d’Osama Elmasry Njeem pour crimes contre l'humanité et crimes de guerre présumés - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court (ICC), 2025)
Le 18 janvier 2025, la Chambre préliminaire I de la Cour pénale internationale (« CPI » ou « la Cour ») a délivré un mandat d’arrêt à l’encontre de M. Osama Elmasry Njeem, également connu sous le nom d’Osama Almasri Njeem, dans la situation en Libye.
Libya

Archives of the Surveilled - Rosen, Charlotte (Public Books, 2025)
The FBI’s recording of Arthur Huff Fauset's life undermined its own goals by essentially archiving his speeches, which would have otherwise been lost to history and even the author’s own memory. In these words written at the end of his life, there is a poignancy to his sarcasm: He may leave a legacy after all, but only through the institutions that silenced him in the first place Archives open up the possibility to read around the official political and literary history that government repression has constructed.
United States of America

The Vigil Files: Government Surveillance in the Civil Rights Movement - Alejandro Hernández (Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives, 2025)
In part one of Ernesto B. Vigil Freedom of Information Act papers (WH2496), we looked at some of the early actions the FBI took to surveil the civil rights movement. In part two, we will look at how such actions would escalate and even some cross-border actions taken by J. Edgar Hoover.
United States of America

Italian church probe reveals scores of abuse cases in a single diocese - Armellini, Alvise (Reuters, 2025)
Dozens of sex abuse cases committed by members of the clergy over six decades emerged on Monday from an independent report into a northern Italian diocese that dug deeper into the past than others produced by the Italian Catholic Church.
Italy

New legislation will open WWII collaboration archive: minister - Quell, Molly (DutchNews.nl, 2025)
Education and culture minister Eppo Bruins is preparing new legislation which will open controversial digital archives on possible collaborators during World War II to the general public, he told current affairs programme Buitenhof at the weekend. The archives should have been fully online from January 1, but that plan was halted because of privacy concerns. Instead, only the list of names of suspects was made available – even though many were never investigated. The records from the Centraal Archief Bijzondere...
The Netherlands

Meta Looks for the X Factor - Chakravorti, Bhaskar (Foreign Policy, 2025)
What Mark Zuckerberg’s change of heart on misinformation means for the world.
Worldwide

Ethel Rosenberg’s family pushes Biden to exonerate her decades after her execution - John Yang; Harry Zahn (PBS NewsHour, 2025)
In 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed after being convicted as Soviet spies in a sensational Cold War espionage case. Now, a recently declassified document is seen as the strongest evidence yet of Ethel’s innocence.
United States of America

Women's rights under threat in Uganda as conservative groups push disinformation campaign - Prudence Nyamishana (Global Voices, 2025)
The rise of the anti-rights conservative groups in Uganda and around the world has led to gendered disinformation that is threatening democracy and freedoms in the East African nation.
Uganda

Call for ‘censorship culture’ to end as Unity Mitford’s German diary is revealed - Tapper, James; Thorpe, Vanessa (The Observer, 2025)
Extracts from Mitford’s papers published but many more archives concerning British fascists remain concealed
Germany
Keywords: Adolf Hitler; Censorship; The Mitford sisters

Conservatives spent £134m on never-used IT systems for failed Rwanda scheme - Dearden, Lizzie (The Observer, 2025)
Home Office official says data protection laws caused the cost of its forced removal programme to increase
United Kingdom
Keywords: Conservatives; Home Office; Human rights; Immigration and asylum; Politics; Refugees; Rwanda; UK news

Conservatives spent £134m on never-used IT systems for failed Rwanda scheme - Dearden, Lizzie (The Observer, 2025)
Home Office official says data protection laws caused the cost of its forced removal programme to increase
Rwanda
Keywords: Conservatives; Home Office; Human rights; Immigration and asylum; Politics; Refugees; Rwanda; UK news

At what cost are we bridging Africa’s digital divide? - Muhammed Bello Buhari (Global Voices, 2025)
Beneath the promises of enhanced connectivity in Africa lies a complex narrative—a 21st-century iteration of colonial dynamics cloaked in the rhetoric of "connecting the unconnected"
Africa

Yoon supporters storm Seoul court after his detainment period is extended - the Guardian (The Guardian, 2025)
Protesters smash windows after officials cite concerns the impeached president could destroy evidence if released
South Korea
Keywords: Asia Pacific; South Korea; World news; Yoon Suk Yeol

EU asks X for internal documents about algorithms as it steps up investigation - O'Carroll, Lisa (The Guardian, 2025)
Musk’s company has been accused of manipulating systems to give far-right posts and politicians greater visibility
Europe
Keywords: Digital media; Elon Musk; Europe; European Union; Internet; Social media; Technology; World news; X

Sudani oversees handover of Baath crime archives in London - Rudaw (Rudaw, 2025)
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Thursday oversaw the handover of archival documents on Baathist era crimes to an Iraqi documentation center during his visit to London, his office said. The archive, previously held by an Iraqi human rights organization, was transferred to the Iraqi Center for Documenting Extremist Crimes, which is affiliated with the al-Abbas Holy Shrine located in Karbala, according to a statement from Sudani’s office.
Sudan

Deb Haaland on Biden's efforts to preserve public land and recognize Indigenous history - Amna Nawaz (PBS News, 2025)
One of the legacies President Biden leaves behind when he exits the White House is his record on conserving and protecting the country’s public lands and water. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland played a key role in implementing Biden's policies over four years. Amna Nawaz spoke with Haaland about her achievements.
United States of America

Balgh platform marks two years as a tool of repression - ARTICLE 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2025)
Iraqi authorities continue to use the Balgh platform to monitor online speech and curtail freedom of expression.
Iraq

Women’s Rights Advocates Light Up National Archives to Push for ERA Publication - Equality Now (Equality Now, 2025)
Last night, the U.S. National Archives Building was illuminated with a bold and urgent message from women’s rights organizations across the country, calling on President Biden to take immediate action to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) into the U.S. Constitution. This powerful projection highlighted the critical need to address sex discrimination and ensure equality under the law.
United States of America

91-Year-Old Photographer Loses Over 80,000 Images in LA Wildfires - Growcoot, Matt (PetaPixel, 2025)
He worked at JPL for nearly 50 years.
United States of America

Poland, Ukraine move on exhumations deal of WWII-era massacre victims - Brzozowski, Alexandra (Euractiv, 2025)
The historical dispute has repeatedly been raised by Poland as a key obstacle to Kyiv's progress toward EU accession.
Europe

Judge orders operation of dictatorship memory sites be guaranteed - Herald, Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Herald, 2025)
Federal judge Ariel Lijo has ordered Human Rights Secretary Alberto Baños to guarantee that dictatorship memory sites have the required staff and resources to operate properly.
Argentina

3M knew firefighting foams containing PFAS were toxic, documents show - Salvidge, Rachel; Hosea, Leana (The Guardian, 2025)
Newly uncovered documents reveal chemicals giant was aware ‘environmentally neutral’ products did not biodegrade
Worldwide
Keywords: Australia news; Business; Environment; Firefighters; PFAS; Pollution; UK news; Water

MI5 files suggest queen was not briefed on spy in royal household for nine years - Davies, Caroline (The Guardian, 2025)
Documents indicate monarch was informed Anthony Blunt was Soviet agent in 1973, though he confessed in 1964
United Kingdom
Keywords: Espionage; MI5; Monarchy; Queen Elizabeth II; Russia; UK news

‘Abuse, corruption, dark dealings’: Pope Benedict handed scandal documents to Francis - Giuffrida, Angela; Pepinster, Catherine (The Guardian, 2025)
Pope Francis says in his autobiography he received a ‘large white box’ relating to ‘difficult and painful situations’
Europe
Keywords: Catholicism; Christianity; Pope Francis; Religion; The papacy

The artificial intelligence dilemma for peacebuilders and human rights defenders - Heather Ashby (OpenGlobalRights, 2025)
Rights defenders must actively shape the discussion to mitigate the adverse human and environmental impacts of AI, particularly on the Global South.
Worldwide

Secret UK files detailing confessions of Cambridge Five spies released - Holden, Michael (Reuters, 2025)
Top secret MI5 files detailing first-hand accounts of confessions of three of Britain's most notorious double agents including Kim Philby and Anthony Blunt who spied for the Soviet Union were released for the first time on Tuesday.
United Kingdom

Afghans evacuated by US in chaos of withdrawal are languishing in foreign camps, documents reveal - Speri, Alice (The Guardian, 2025)
Records show evacuees with pending applications to enter US ‘forced to remain in limbo’ in at least 36 countries, some in ‘untenable conditions’
Afghanistan
Keywords: Afghanistan; Donald Trump; Germany; Italy; Kuwait; Middle East and north Africa; Oman; Qatar; South and central Asia; Trump administration; US immigration; US news; US-Mexico border; World news

Afghans evacuated by US in chaos of withdrawal are languishing in foreign camps, documents reveal - Speri, Alice (The Guardian, 2025)
Records show evacuees with pending applications to enter US ‘forced to remain in limbo’ in at least 36 countries, some in ‘untenable conditions’
United States of America
Keywords: Afghanistan; Donald Trump; Germany; Italy; Kuwait; Middle East and north Africa; Oman; Qatar; South and central Asia; Trump administration; US immigration; US news; US-Mexico border; World news

Videos reveal new incidents of deadly brutality by Bangladesh police - Stacey, Kiran; Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
‘Grotesque’ footage shows previously undocumented incidents on day PM Sheikh Hasina fled country
Bangladesh
Keywords: Bangladesh; Sheikh Hasina; South and central Asia; World news

Note of concern from the International Council on Archives - Almeras, Clemence (ICA, 2025)
Note of concern from the International Council on Archives about its concern with regard to the measures adopted by the Argentinian government affecting the Human Rights Secretariat and its institutions
Argentina

Court ruling on Belgium’s conduct in colonial Africa hailed as turning point - Rankin, Jennifer (The Guardian, 2025)
Verdict of crimes against humanity for kidnap of mixed-race children could pave way for wider justice, activists say
Belgium
Keywords: Africa; Belgium; Burundi; Colonialism; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Europe; Race; Rwanda; World news

US supreme court curbed public scrutiny as it boosted security before Roe ruling - Wilson, Jason (The Guardian, 2025)
Memo obtained by the Guardian mandates that court would maintain ‘exclusive’ control of all security-related records
United States of America
Keywords: Donald Trump; Roe v Wade; US news; US politics; US supreme court

Italy donates digital archive of Somali laws to aid legal and cultural recovery - Hiiran Online (Hiiran Online, 2025)
Italy has donated a digital archive of Somali laws and official bulletins from 1950 to 1989, offering essential resources to bolster the country's legal system and cultural recovery. The digital archive was handed over by Italian Ambassador Pier Mario Daccò Coppi to Somali Minister of Justice Hassan Moalim Mohamud during a ceremony in Mogadishu, marking the anniversary of the 1948 massacre of Italians in the city.
Somalia

Fears grow over censorship of secret Queen Elizabeth and Philip papers - Palmer, Richard (The Observer, 2025)
Critics flag ‘worrying trend’ of keeping royal files under lock and key as thousands set for release to public
United Kingdom
Keywords: Freedom of information; National Archives; Prince Philip; Queen Elizabeth II

Israel must be added to UN’s sexual violence blacklist - Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, 2025)
Palestinian sexual violence reports blocked from investigation by Israeli authorities.
Israel

Israel must be added to UN’s sexual violence blacklist - Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, 2025)
Palestinian sexual violence reports blocked from investigation by Israeli authorities.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)

Zuckerberg approved Meta’s use of ‘pirated’ books to train AI models, authors claim - Milmo, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Sarah Silverman and others file court case claiming CEO approved use of dataset despite warnings
United States of America
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Business; Mark Zuckerberg; Meta; Technology; Technology sector; UK news; US news

Ex-McKinsey partner pleads guilty to destroying records on opioids - the Guardian (The Guardian, 2025)
Martin Elling pleads guilty to destroying records on advice provided to Purdue Pharma on how to ‘turbocharge’ sales.
United States of America
Keywords: Opioids; Opioids crisis; US crime; US news

AI, Human Collaboration Are Transforming University Archives - Abby Sourwine (GovTech, 2025)
Colleges and universities are important record keepers for history and research. With the help of artificial intelligence, archivists can transcribe, search for and interact with records in new ways.
United States of America

Uphold media freedom and protect journalists in the West Bank - ARTICLE 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2025)
The Palestinian Authority must comply with international human rights law and protect these freedoms while ensuring the safety of journalists.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)

Moving Ahead to a Crimes against Humanity Treaty - Dicker, Richard (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
It has taken two years of consideration, discussion and debate, but the agreement necessary to draft an international treaty to prevent and punish Crimes Against Humanity has finally been reached.
Worldwide

Uncovering Iraq’s mass graves: the painstaking search for missing loved ones - Mamo, Alessio (The Guardian, 2025)
The country has as many as one million missing people after decades of conflict. Forensic teams face huge challenges to document human remains as families wait in hope of closure.
Iraq
Keywords: Global development; Iran; Iraq; Islamic State; Middle East and north Africa; Saddam Hussein; War crimes; World news

National Archives knew that victims were in files of potential Nazi collaborators in WW2 - NL Times (Netherlands Times, 2025)
The National Archives already knew last year that the names of innocents or even victims appear in a sensitive archive with files about Dutch people who were accused of collaborating with the German forces during the Second World War. Yet the institution only published a warning after the media reported on this, NU.nl reported.
The Netherlands

Archive of civil rights icon Myrlie Evers-Williams to go on display - Sally H. Jacobs (The Washington Post, 2025)
The collection is among the largest received by Pomona College in recent years. Its donor is Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers, who was assassinated by a white supremacist outside their Mississippi home in 1963. His death inflamed the then-nascent civil rights movement.
United States of America

Venezuela’s Opposition Leader Is Forcibly Detained and Then Released - Turkewitz, Julie (The New York Times, 2025)
During her detention, an aide said, Maria Corina Machado “was forced to record several videos.” She has garnered enormous support for her opposition to Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela
Keywords: Caracas (Venezuela); Demonstrations; Protests and Riots; Machado; Maria Corina; Maduro; Nicolas; Political Prisoners; Politics and Government; Venezuela; Vente Venezuela (Political Party)

U.K. Special Forces Allowed to ‘Get Away With Murder’ in Afghanistan, Inquiry Told - Landler, Mark (The New York Times, 2025)
Evidence released by an official inquiry into alleged war crimes painted a disturbing picture of an elite fighting force with a culture of impunity.
Afghanistan
Keywords: Afghanistan; British Broadcasting Corp; Classified Information and State Secrets; Defense and Military Forces; Great Britain; International Relations; Jenrick; Robert; Ministry of Defense (Great Britain); WikiLeaks

U.K. Special Forces Allowed to ‘Get Away With Murder’ in Afghanistan, Inquiry Told - Landler, Mark (The New York Times, 2025)
Evidence released by an official inquiry into alleged war crimes painted a disturbing picture of an elite fighting force with a culture of impunity.
United Kingdom
Keywords: Afghanistan; British Broadcasting Corp; Classified Information and State Secrets; Defense and Military Forces; Great Britain; International Relations; Jenrick; Robert; Ministry of Defense (Great Britain); WikiLeaks

RSF appelle les nouvelles autorités à mener sept actions prioritaires pour mettre en œuvre leurs promesses en matière de liberté de la presse - Reporters sans Frontières (Reporters sans Frontières, 2025)
En ce début d’année 2025, le ministre de l'Information du gouvernement de facto de la Syrie a promis d'œuvrer pour la liberté de la presse dans le pays. Reporters sans frontières (RSF) salue cet engagement, tout en rappelant aux autorités leurs responsabilités envers les journalistes enlevés, tués et disparus depuis le début de la révolution en 2011. L’organisation les appelle à mettre en œuvre sept recommandations prioritaires, avec, en premier lieu, la libération des 20 journalistes toujours détenus par les groupes rebelles.
Syria

RSF calls on Syria’s new authorities to adopt seven priority measures in line with their promises to safeguard press freedom - Reporters without Borders (Reporters without Borders, 2025)
On the first day of 2025, the Information Minister of Syria's new de facto government promised to improve press freedom in the country. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes this commitment while reminding the authorities of their responsibility for the journalists who were killed, abducted, or who disappeared since the start of the revolution in 2011. RSF calls on this transitional government to immediately implement seven recommendations, starting with the release of the 20 journalists still held by rebel groups.
Syria

Call for the archives of the new Syria to be safeguarded and made accessible - Ginouvès, Véronique (Archives de la recherche & Phonothèque, 2025)
On the morning of the regime’s fall, Syria experienced a historic moment. Citizens flooded the prisons, govertemental institutions and the former presidential palace – now renamed the People’s Palace. The general atmosphere was marked by euphoria and collective celebration, driven by the hope of finding information about their missing loved ones. However, this popular surge quickly led to disorganization, which partly prevented the recovery and organization of the former regime’s administrative documents for their preservation.
Syria

National archive warns of mistakes in list of WWII collaborators - Pascoe, Robin (DutchNews.nl, 2025)
The Dutch national archive has warned that some of the names included in a new listing of people suspected or convicted of collaborating with the Nazis during World War II may have been added in error. The list of some 425,000 names has been public since last week, and demand for more information has been so high that no more appointments are currently being made for people who want to view the actual files. However, according to the Telegraaf, some...
The Netherlands

Dutch online archive identifies suspected WW2 Nazi collaborators - Campenhout, Charlotte Van (Reuters, 2025)
A Dutch project called 'War in Court' digitally released a list of names of nearly half a million suspected wartime Nazi collaborators on Thursday after the expiry of a law that had restricted public access to the archive.
Europe

ICC welcomes Ukraine as a new State Party - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court (ICC), 2025)
Today, 1 January 2025, the Rome Statute, founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), enters into force for Ukraine. Ukraine formally becomes the 125th State Party to the ICC, and the 20th State from the Eastern Europe region.
Ukraine

La CPI se félicite de l’admission de l’Ukraine en tant que nouvel État partie - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court (ICC), 2025)
Aujourd’hui, le 1er janvier 2025, le Statut de Rome, traité fondateur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), entre en vigueur pour l’Ukraine. L’Ukraine devient officiellement le 125ème État Partie à la CPI, et le 20ème État de la région Europe orientale.
Ukraine

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia Court Report 2024 - ECCCC (ECCCC, 2024)
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) made strides in the second year of residual functions, significantly advancing judicial reclassification, outreach programs and legacy initiatives. A major milestone in 2024 was the reclassification of thousands of confidential documents from Case 002, making nearly 24,000 records accessible to the public.
Cambodia

Tech law in 2025: a look ahead at AI, privacy and social media regulation under the new Trump administration - Lu, Sylvia (The Conversation, 2025)
The Trump administration has different interests and priorities than those of the Biden administration for regulating technology. For some issues like AI regulation, big changes are on tap.
United States of America

Netherlands to open archive on people accused of wartime Nazi collaboration - Boztas, Senay (The Guardian, 2024)
Some descendants are apprehensive but a historian says making 30m pages of records public is ‘important step’.
Netherlands
Keywords: Europe; Holocaust; Netherlands; Second world war; World news

WHO continues to urge China to share data five years after COVID-19 - UN News (UN News, 2024)
“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19,” WHO said. “This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics. “
Worldwide

How ‘Trophy’ Videos Link Paramilitary Commanders to War Crimes in Sudan - Varghese, Sanjana; Reneau, Natalie; Koettl, Christoph; Byrd, Aaron; Walsh, Declan (The New York Times, 2024)
Visual evidence collected and analyzed over months by The New York Times identifies the commanders leading an opaque paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, as fighters under their watch commit atrocities across Sudan.
Sudan
Keywords: Darfur (Sudan); International Criminal Court; Nuba Mountains (Sudan); Rapid Support Forces (Sudan); South Kordofan (Sudan); Sudan; Sudanese Armed Forces; your-feed-visual-investigations

Disgruntled police in Northern Ireland responsible for IRA leaks after Good Friday agreement - Booth, Robert (The Guardian, 2024)
Newly released Irish archives include leaks from UK government and RUC’s attempts to undermine Sinn Féin
United Kingdom
Keywords: Good Friday agreement; IRA; Ireland; Mo Mowlam; Northern Ireland; Politics; UK news

Massive layoffs endanger dictatorship memorial sites, workers say - Iglesia, Facundo (Buenos Aires Herald, 2024)
Paula Eugenia Donadio, a representative of state-workers union ATE, told the Herald that the layoffs endanger the functioning of dictatorship memorial sites run by the secretariat. The memorials are repurposed former clandestine detention centers that operated during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship. According to human rights organizations, these centers were instrumental in the forcible disappearance of over 30,000 people.
Argentina

Why speech could be a target for the anti-abortion movement in 2025 - Sherman, Carter (The Guardian, 2024)
The anti-abortion movement is looking at ways to control information about how and where to obtain abortions
United States of America
Keywords: Abortion; Health; Roe v Wade; Society; US news; Women; World news

Mourning Turkey’s Last Progressive Radio Station - Genc, Kaya (Foreign Policy, 2024)
Acik Radyo featured diverse voices, angering the Erdogan regime.
Türkiye

Syria’s Paper Trail of Atrocity Must Be Preserved - Shaif, Rawan (Foreign Policy, 2024)
Amid the chaos of Assad’s fall, vital documents may be lost.
Syrian Arab Republic

From Nuremberg to now: How a war crimes trial in Sweden is changing legal history - Maxim, Julius (Politico, 2024)
Prosecutors are using “universal jurisdiction” to hold companies to account for their operations overseas.
Sweden

Preserve Evidence of Mass Atrocities - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
The transitional Syrian authorities should urgently take steps to secure and preserve evidence of atrocities committed under the government of former President Bashar al-Assad, including key government and intelligence documents as well as the sites of atrocities and mass graves.
Syrian Arab Republic

A radical way to teach contested history - Pidd, Helen (The Guardian, 2024)
Helen Pidd visits Lancaster Royal grammar school to see the work of Parallel Histories, an education charity which helps young people make sense of contested history
United Kingdom
Keywords: Education; History; Schools

Journalists who were unlawfully spied on have ‘no doubt’ UK reporters are still targeted - Siddique, Haroon (The Guardian, 2024)
Belfast-based Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey won landmark victory that PSNI’s surveillance was unlawful
United Kingdom
Keywords: Espionage; London; MI5; Media; Metropolitan police; Northern Ireland; Police; UK news; UK security and counter-terrorism; World news

UNAIDS - partnerships for country led and country owned data system: A transformative approach - UNAIDS (UNAIDS, 2024)
​There is an urgent need to address inequities in global health practices, including how data are collected and used. In the case of HIV data, UNAIDS has consistently strived to strengthen partnerships with countries to support them in their data journeys, from collecting to using HIV data.
Worldwide

Entre 1828 et 1970 | Plus de 3000 enfants morts dans des pensionnats autochtones - AFP (La Presse, 2024)
Au moins 3104 enfants autochtones sont morts dans des pensionnats aux États-Unis, arrachés à leur famille pour être assimilés de force.
United States of America

En Syrie, la Croix-Rouge espère travailler avec les nouvelles autorités du pays sur la recherche des disparus - Hélène Sallon (Le Monde, 2024)
Le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge n’avait pas accès aux lieux de détention gérés par les branches de sécurité du régime, qui pourraient être responsables de la mort de plusieurs centaines de milliers de Syriens.
Syrian Arab Republic

A Billion Lives Off the Record: The Urgent Need for Legal Identity - Baher Kamal (Inter Press Service, 2024)
Over one billion people worldwide lack legal identity, leaving them unable to access basic rights and services like healthcare, education, and voting
Worldwide

Aplicativos de préstamos kenianos invaden la privacidad de los prestatarios para cobrar deudas - Cecilia Maundu (Global Voices, 2024)
Se necesita más regulación de los préstamos digitales para proteger los derechos de los prestatarios
Kenya

Kenyan money lending apps invade borrowers’ privacy to recover debts - Cecilia Maundu (Global Voices, 2024)
A report by the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) at Strathmore University revealed that most lending apps collect far more data than necessary.
Kenya

Brazil Bans X from Using Children to Power Its AI - Han, Hye Jung (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
This week, Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority banned the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, from using the personal data of its child users in Brazil to train its artificial intelligence (AI).
Brazil
Keywords: Technology

End Prosecutions Targeting Kurdish Language Activities in Türkiye - Hugh Williamson (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
Rıfat Roni has spent more than a decade as an official court interpreter facilitating communication for Kurdish speakers in legal proceedings. This week, he found himself in the dock facing charges.
Türkiye

Archiving as resistance to genocide denial in Gaza - Kousta, Eleftheria (Waging Nonviolence, 2024)
Law for Palestine members discuss their database of genocidal statements by leading Israeli figures and how it can help defend human rights.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the United Nations)

Mujeres en cargos públicos en Macedonia del Norte son blanco fácil de la incitación al odio - Metamorphosis Foundation (Global Voices, 2024)
Los estereotipos arraigados sobre el papel de la mujer en la sociedad suelen ser un arma contra las mujeres que desafían las normas tradicionales o asumen posiciones de liderazgo.
North Macedonia

Women in public positions in North Macedonia are easy targets of hate speech - Metamorphosis Foundation (Global Voices, 2024)
Despite visible progress in the fight for women’s rights, increased representation in politics and greater attention to issues affecting women, the tendency to express contempt and insult them persists.
North Macedonia

Rights investigators call for protection of evidence, including mass grave sites - Vibhu Mishra (UN News, 2024)
In a landmark mission to Syria, the UN probe into the most serious rights violations committed in the country since 2011 has called on caretaker authorities to take immediate measures to protect mass grave sites and preserve critical evidence.
Syrian Arab Republic

Special Rapporteur on Torture documents Syrian violations for ICJ case - OHCHR (OHCHR, 2024)
There is a danger that important evidence of torture and other crimes is being lost in Syria, as families of missing people desperately seek news of their loved ones, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards warned today.
Syrian Arab Republic

Can Syria's devastated cultural heritage be rebuilt? - Stuart Braun (dw.com, 2024)
As Syria's brutal almost 14-year civil war comes to an end, heritage experts are working to protect the remains of the country's battered cultural riches — and to reconstruct them.
Syrian Arab Republic

Security Council Debates Use of Artificial Intelligence in Conflicts, Hears Calls for UN Framework to Avoid Fragmented Governance - United Nations (UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, 2024)
Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) is outpacing human ability to govern it, even threatening human control over weapons systems, the United Nations chief warned during a Security Council briefing today, urging Member States to swiftly establish “international guard-rails” to ensure a safe, secure and inclusive AI future for all. “Artificial intelligence is not just reshaping our world — it is revolutionizing it,” underscored Secretary-General António Guterres. AI tools are identifying food insecurity and predicting displacements caused by extreme events and climate change, detecting and clearing landmines, and soon will be able to spot patterns of unrest before violence erupts.
Worldwide

Humanity’s fate can’t be left to algorithms, UN chief tells Security Council - Vibhu Mishra (UN News, 2024)
The UN Secretary-General on Thursday urged the Security Council to act decisively to establish international guardrails for artificial intelligence (AI), warning that delays could heighten risks to global peace and security.
Worldwide

En Azerbaiyán, autoridades vuelven a atacar a periodistas, en nueva oleada de detenciones - Arzu Geybullayeva (Global Voices, 2024)
En una nueva oleada de detenciones, las autoridades detuvieron a periodistas y activistas por contrabando y extorsión.
Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, authorities are again targeting journalists, in a new wave of arrests - Arzu Geybullayeva (Global Voices, 2024)
The authorities in Baku insist none of the criticisms are true, instead accusing those critical of the regime of double standards, bias and meddling in the country's internal matters.
Azerbaijan

A pro-China rapper blows whistle on Beijing's influencer network in Taiwan - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2024)
Chen Po-yuan, an insider of a pro-China influencer network in Taiwan, publicly revealed the operation of mainland Chinese state agencies within the self-ruled region.
China

Rapero prochino denuncia red de influenciadores de Pekín en Taiwán - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2024)
"Si seguimos cooperando con el Partido Comunista Chino... nos convertiremos en el próximo Sinkiang"
China

Bulgaria trying to force out Syrian asylum seekers after fall of Assad - Tondo, Lorenzo; Kassam, Ashifa (The Guardian, 2024)
NGO finds Syrians subjected to interrogations and reportedly pressed into signing return documents
Bulgaria
Keywords: Bulgaria; Europe; European Union; Refugees; Syria; World news

Bulgaria trying to force out Syrian asylum seekers after fall of Assad - Tondo, Lorenzo; Kassam, Ashifa (The Guardian, 2024)
NGO finds Syrians subjected to interrogations and reportedly pressed into signing return documents
Syrian Arab Republic
Keywords: Bulgaria; Europe; European Union; Refugees; Syria; World news

Getting serious about AI rules: Lack of enforcement capacity puts EU at risk - Voss, Axel (Euractiv, 2024)
In half a year, common EU rules start to apply to the most advanced AI models, crucial to supporting downstream industry and protecting citizens against systemic risks. The AI Office in the European Commission, however, is massively understaffed for the task, counting so far only around 85 staffers – out of which only around 30 team members are specifically tasked with the implementation of the AI Act.
Europe

AI-based-technologies for trustworthy solutions against disinformation - AI4TRUST - Euractiv's Advocacy Lab (Euractiv, 2024)
The AI4TRUST project aims to combat misinformation and disinformation in the EU by creating a trust-based environment that integrates the automated monitoring of social and news media with advanced AI-based technologies to enhance the work of human fact-checkers.
Europe

Spain introduces bill to combat online fake news - France-Presse, Agence (The Guardian, 2024)
Minister calls bill demanding digital platforms publicly correct false information ‘good news for democracy’
Spain
Keywords: Digital media; Europe; Internet; Media; Pedro Sánchez; Social media; Spain; World news

Commission opens TikTok investigation over Romanian presidential elections disinformation - Hartmann, Théophane (Euractiv, 2024)
The Commission could eventually fine TikTok up to 6% of its global worldwide turnover for failure to comply.
Romania

Liberian Warlord-Politician’s Death and the Search for Justice - Michelle Reyes Milk (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
Liberia’s Prince Y. Johnson, who rose to prominence first as a warlord and then politician, was implicated in serious abuses during the country’s two civil wars between 1989 and 2003.
Liberia

General Assembly Adopts 47 Third Committee Resolutions, including Texts on Nazi Glorification, Children's Rights, Palestine Statehood - United Nations (UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, 2024)
The General Assembly adopted 47 draft resolutions and one decision recommended by its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, covering a wide range of issues, from countering violence against children and combating the glorification of Nazism to protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and ensuring the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The draft on combating the glorification of Nazism contained in report A/79/456 elicited debate, triggering a recorded vote before its adoption. By the text, the Assembly expressed concern about the glorification of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism and former members of the Waffen SS organization, including by erecting monuments and memorials and holding public demonstrations in the name of the glorification of the Nazi past.
Worldwide

Authorities using spyware and Cellebrite forensic extraction tools to hack journalists and activists - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
Serbian authorities are using spyware and Cellebrite forensic extraction tools to hack journalists and activists in a surveillance campaign.
Serbia

Las autoridades utilizan programas espía y herramientas de extracción forense de Cellebrite para ‘hackear’ a periodistas y activistas - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
La policía y las autoridades de los servicios de inteligencia de Serbia están utilizando programas avanzados de espionaje telefónico, junto con productos forenses para teléfonos móviles, para atacar ilegítimamente a periodistas, activistas ambientales y otras personas en una campaña de vigilancia encubierta, según ha revelado un nuevo informe de Amnistía Internacional.
Serbia

Les autorités utilisent des logiciels espions et les outils criminalistiques d’extraction de données Cellebrite pour pirater des journalistes et des militantes - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
Les services de police et du renseignement serbes utilisent un logiciel espion avancé, ainsi que des outils de criminalistique mobile pour cibler illégalement des journalistes, des militant·e·s écologistes et d’autres individus dans le cadre d’une campagne de surveillance secrète, révèle un nouveau rapport d’Amnesty International.
Serbia

Serbia used Israeli firm’s tech to enable spy campaign, Amnesty says - Euractiv.com with Reuters (Euractiv, 2024)
According to Amnesty, Serbia received phone-cracking devices as part of a broader package of assistance designed to help Serbia meet the requirements for EU accession.
Serbia

Serbia used Israeli firm’s tech to enable spy campaign, Amnesty says - Euractiv.com with Reuters (Euractiv, 2024)
According to Amnesty, Serbia received phone-cracking devices as part of a broader package of assistance designed to help Serbia meet the requirements for EU accession.
Israel

The Fragile Balance: Leon Langdon on Free Speech and Combating Religious Hatred - Jacobsen, Scott Douglas (International Policy Digest, 2024)
Leon Langdon discusses Humanists International's advocacy at the UNHRC, focusing on protecting freedom of expression, combating blasphemy laws, and addressing challenges to religious tolerance and minority rights
Worldwide

Online safety or censorship? Malaysia’s parliament passes two contentious media bills - Mong Palatino (Global Voices, 2024)
“These measures risk transforming Malaysia’s digital spaces into stricter and highly regulated environments, stifling open discourse and innovation while entrenching state control over the internet.”
Malaysia

¿Seguridad o censura en línea? Parlamento de Malasia aprueba dos polémicos proyectos de ley sobre medios - Mong Palatino (Global Voices, 2024)
Las autoridades insisten en que las reformas facilitarán detener a los ciberdelincuentes
Malaysia

Digital governance in the era of hybrid warfare, with Estonia’s digital minister - Santana, Giada (Euractiv, 2024)
In this episode, host Giada Santana is joined by Estonia's Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa Pakosta to discuss Estonia's digital transformation and the challenges of securing a fully digital state in an era of escalating cyber warfare.
Estonia

States should ask "Where is Sombath?" at upcoming review of human rights record - International Federation for Human Rights (International Federation for Human Rights, 2024)
On the 12-year anniversary of the unresolved enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals worldwide, urge United Nations (UN) member states to express their concern over this continuing crime and to call for the prompt resolution of Sombath’s case at the upcoming review of the human rights record of Laos.
Laos

Restore, destroy or leave to rot? Battle lines drawn over west Africa’s architectural heritage - Egbejule, Eromo (The Guardian, 2024)
Uncompleted or abandoned buildings are a regular feature of the landscape. Now calls for restorations are increasing
Africa
Keywords: Africa; Architecture; Art and design; Culture; Togo; World news

35,000 registered missing in 13 years of conflict as ICRC helps families seek answers - International Committee of the Red Cross (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2024)
In the past 13 years, the ICRC has registered 35,000 cases of people who have gone missing in Syria. This number reflects the requests of the families who approached the ICRC - we know that in reality the numbers are far greater.
Syrian Arab Republic

SOS-defenders platform: Expose arbitrary detention of human rights defenders worldwide - International Federation for Human Rights (International Federation for Human Rights, 2024)
A collective of local, regional and international human rights organisations unveils SOS-Defenders, an action platform that exposes the alarming scale of arbitrary detention of human rights defenders worldwide.
Worldwide

Assad’s Fall in Syria Renews Push for Justice on Crimes Committed by His Regime - Bigg, Matthew Mpoke (The New York Times, 2024)
It seems unlikely that deposed President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, will be forced to stand trial. That is not deterring activists who have worked for years to document his government’s crimes.
Syrian Arab Republic
Keywords: Assad; Bashar al-; General Assembly (UN); Human Rights and Human Rights Violations; International Court of Justice (UN); International Criminal Court; Syria; Syrian Network for Human Rights; Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

The 'Smuggler' of Syrian Torture Archives Reveals His True Identity - Camille Tawil (Asharq Al-Awsat, 2024)
For many years, the world only knew them by the aliases Caesar and Sami. Since 2014, these two names have been associated with documenting torture in Syrian prisons. The photos they smuggled out of Syria shook the world and prompted the United States to impose strict sanctions on the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, under what became known as the “Caesar Act.” These horrific photos documenting torture inflicted on detainees in Syrian prisons were used in courts in Western countries to convict Syrian officers on charges of torture and human rights violations.
Syrian Arab Republic

CFP: Compelling Tensions in Library and Information Science, Library Trends special issue - Cheryl Oestreicher (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2024)
The field of library and information science (LIS) has compelling tensions similar to those explored by Thomas Kuhn in the fields of science. Many of these tensions have been a part of the discipline and profession for a long time, and others have emerged in the digital age with the explosion of information and the ways to access, manipulate, and share that information.
Worldwide

Preuves de crimes de guerre en Syrie : "Nous avons 283 terabytes d'informations", explique un membre des Nations unies chargé de la collecte - France Info (France Info, 2024)
Le chef des rebelles islamistes syriens a prévenu qu’il n’y aurait pas d'amnistie pour les personnes impliquées dans la torture des détenus.
Syrian Arab Republic

Bringing Perpetrators of Gross Human Rights Violations to Task - Groundviews (Groundviews, 2024)
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), an independent NGO working since 2013 to protect and promote justice and accountability in Sri Lanka, has submitted more than 60 sanctions and visa ban requests against public and security officials to date as well as a series of universal jurisdiction cases. These have been sent to the governments of the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the EU as well as the UN. The submissions cover gross violations of human rights and significant corruption in respect of the army, navy, air force, police and intelligence officials, Tamil paramilitaries as well as civil servants including judges and former ministers, a press release from the organization said.
Sri Lanka

New Laws Threaten Free Expression, Privacy - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
El Salvador’s recently approved cybersecurity and data protection laws contain sweeping provisions that threaten media freedom and privacy rights, Human Rights Watch said today.
El Salvador

The Measure of Time: Using Age Determination to Secure Identity and Civil Documentation - IOM (ReliefWeb, 2024)
Four workstations in a corner office at the Nazal health centre in Fallujah are ready to receive their first applicants. A red ribbon and mint green signs are the only markings for this newly established age determination committee, supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq, and the Government of France. This committee will open doors to a new life for thousands of Iraqis in Fallujah, 65 km away from the capital, and offer critical services that were previously out of reach for families displaced by the conflict with Daesh.
Iraq

Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot - Panh, Rithy (Catherine Dussart Production, 2024)
Kampuchea démocratique (Cambodge) - 1978. Trois journalistes français sont invités par les Khmers rouges à réaliser une interview exclusive du chef du régime, Pol Pot. Le pays semble idéal. Mais derrière le village Potemkine, le régime des Khmers rouges décline et la guerre avec le Vietnam menace d'envahir le pays. Le régime cherche des coupables, menant en secret un génocide à grande échelle. Sous les yeux des journalistes, la belle image se fissure, révélant l'horreur. Leur voyage se transforme progressivement en cauchemar. Librement inspiré du récit de la journaliste Elizabeth Becker dans When The War Was Over.
Cambodia

CIA Official Charged With Leaking Israeli Military Plans - Sharp, Alexandra (Foreign Policy, 2024)
Documents posted on Telegram detailed Israeli weapons, munition, and troop movements ahead of its counterattack against Iran.
United States of America

CIA Official Charged With Leaking Israeli Military Plans - Sharp, Alexandra (Foreign Policy, 2024)
Documents posted on Telegram detailed Israeli weapons, munition, and troop movements ahead of its counterattack against Iran.
Israel

Slovak ombudsman and opposition to challenge information bill in Constitutional Court - Silenská, Natália (Euractiv, 2024)
The bill could lead to arbitrary decisions and inconsistent treatment of requests for information.
Slovakia

The Bibi Files review – tapes and testimony expose paranoia and petulance of Netanyahu family - Bradshaw, Peter (The Guardian, 2024)
Alexis Bloom’s documentary, which shows the Israeli prime minister and his family under police interrogation over corruption charges, reveals their sense of entitlement
Israel
Keywords: Benjamin Netanyahu; Culture; Documentary films; Fatah; Film; Gaza; Hamas; Israel; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; World news

Ukraine’s death-defying art rescuers - Higgins, Charlotte; Alexandrou, Nicola; Bury, Ellie (The Guardian, 2024)
When Putin invaded, a historian in Kyiv saw that Ukraine’s cultural heritage was in danger. So he set out to save as much of it as he could.
Ukraine
Keywords: Museums; Russia; Sculpture; Ukraine

US should declassify what it knows about deadly Colombian Supreme Court attack - Lauren Harper (Freedom of the Press, 2024)
Declassification diplomacy is one of US government’s most distinctive foreign policy tools, and it should be deployed as often as possible
United States of America

US should declassify what it knows about deadly Colombian Supreme Court attack - Lauren Harper (Freedom of the Press, 2024)
Declassification diplomacy is one of US government’s most distinctive foreign policy tools, and it should be deployed as often as possible
Columbia

Key US agency that fights foreign influence in jeopardy after funding snub - Gedeon, Joseph (The Guardian, 2024)
Global Engagement Center targeted by Republicans skeptical of alleged censoring of conservative viewpoints
United States of America
Keywords: Republicans; US Congress; US foreign policy; US news; US politics

Repeal Harmful Internet Laws - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
The Vietnamese government should repeal a draconian new decree tightening control of internet use and the 2018 Law on Cybersecurity.
Vietnam

Syria’s prison records vital for war crimes evidence - Mahmut Geldi (Anadolu Agency, 2024)
Fadl Abdulghani, head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), emphasized the importance of preserving prison and detention center archives in Syria to uncover the fate of detainees and identify those responsible for torture and other war crimes.
Syria

Nicaragua tortured at least 229 political prisoners, rights group says - Reuters (Reuters, 2024)
At least 229 people detained in Nicaragua for political reasons have suffered various forms of torture and other "crimes against humanity" at the hands of the government over the past seven years, a human rights NGO said.
Nicaragua

En Syrie, la bataille pour la préservation des preuves des crimes du régime Al-Assad - Stéphanie Maupas (Le Monde, 2024)
Plusieurs organisations demandent à la coalition de rebelles de ne pas détruire les preuves des crimes du régime. De les préserver dans l’espoir d’une justice future et pour aider aussi à la recherche des milliers de disparus dans les geôles des Al-Assad.
Syrian Arab Republic

Trump first-term inquiry into leakers led to invasive searches, report finds - Tait, Robert (The Guardian, 2024)
Justice department says lawyers overreached in aiming to discover who was leaking classified information in 2017
United States of America
Keywords: Donald Trump; House of Representatives; Law (US); US news; US politics

UN war crimes tribunals continue to address legacy cases, support national efforts - Vibhu Mishra (UN News, 2024)
The mechanism to complete the work of UN war crimes tribunals continues to make progress in delivering justice for the most serious crimes in Rwanda and the States of the former Yugoslavia, top officials told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Worldwide

Records Seized by Israel Show Hamas Presence in U.N. Schools - Becker, Jo; Rasgon, Adam (The New York Times, 2024)
While Israel asserts that the United Nations has tried to minimize the problem, the global organization says Israeli officials are waging an unfair campaign to discredit it.
Israel
Keywords: Gaza Strip; Hamas; Israel; Lazzarini; Philippe (1964- ); Palestinians; Teachers and School Employees; United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Records Seized by Israel Show Hamas Presence in U.N. Schools - Becker, Jo; Rasgon, Adam (The New York Times, 2024)
While Israel asserts that the United Nations has tried to minimize the problem, the global organization says Israeli officials are waging an unfair campaign to discredit it.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the United Nations)
Keywords: Gaza Strip; Hamas; Israel; Lazzarini; Philippe (1964- ); Palestinians; Teachers and School Employees; United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Police unlawfully storing images of innocent people for facial recognition - Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (The Observer, 2024)
Privacy fears raised as report warns photographs of arrested people who are then released are being retained.
United Kingdom
Keywords: Facial recognition; Police; Privacy; UK news

National Archives digitize cold cases of Black American murders - Russell Contreras (Axios, 2024)
An Axios review of a new National Archives portal found just three digitized unsolved cases of lynchings, racial violence and murders of Black Americans, spawning several decades. The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection portal is the federal agency's latest attempt to index civil rights violations and provide a subject guide, part of an aim spelled out by law to bring justice to the victims in those cases.
United States of America

AI in War and Propaganda: Anna Mysyshyn on Disinformation, Democracy, and Digital Governance - Jacobsen, Scott Douglas (International Policy Digest, 2024)
Anna Mysyshyn explores the transformative role of AI in modern warfare and propaganda, highlighting its threats to democracy and strategies for resilience.
Worldwide

Colombia Asks U.S. to Declassify Records on 1985 Palace of Justice Case - Michael Evans (National Security Archive, 2024)
Washington, D.C., December 6, 2024 - Yesterday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that he has asked the United States to expedite the declassification of archival records on the 1985 Palace of Justice case. The request is an important step forward for human rights advocates seeking to clarify the motivations and actions of the M-19 insurgents who stormed the building on November 6, 1985, and the Colombian government’s responsibility for those who died in the fire that tore through the seat of Colombia’s judicial branch and for the disappearances that occurred in the aftermath.
United States of America

Colombia Asks U.S. to Declassify Records on 1985 Palace of Justice Case - Michael Evans (National Security Archive, 2024)
Washington, D.C., December 6, 2024 - Yesterday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that he has asked the United States to expedite the declassification of archival records on the 1985 Palace of Justice case. The request is an important step forward for human rights advocates seeking to clarify the motivations and actions of the M-19 insurgents who stormed the building on November 6, 1985, and the Colombian government’s responsibility for those who died in the fire that tore through the seat of Colombia’s judicial branch and for the disappearances that occurred in the aftermath.
Columbia

Hungary spied on EU officials, Belgian media reports - Wallace, Nicholas (Euractiv, 2024)
A joint report alleges that Hungarian intelligence searched EU officials' hotel rooms, and stole data from laptops.
Europe

A massive database of evidence, compiled by a historian, documents Israel's war crimes in Gaza - Hasson, Nir (Haaretz, 2024)
The report Dr. Mordechai has compiled online – "Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War" – constitutes the most methodical and detailed documentation in Hebrew (there is also an English translation) of the war crimes that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza. It is a shocking indictment comprised of thousands of entries relating to the war, to the actions of the government, the media, the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli society in general. The English translation of the seventh, and to date latest version of the text, is 124 pages long and contains over 1,400 footnotes referencing thousands of sources, including eyewitness reports, video footage, investigatory materials, articles and photographs.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the United Nations)
Keywords: Gaza; IDF; Israel war crimes; Israel-Gaza War; Palestinians

Ensure digital transformation supports access to information for people with disabilities - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2024)
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, ARTICLE 19 underscores the right of people with disabilities to access information.
Tunisia

Documenting cases of violence against women and girls and recording the health sector response: How to strengthen health administrative data on intimate partner violence and sexual violence in the Region of the Americas. Information kit - Pan American Health Organization (Pan American Health Organization, 2024)
Violence against women and girls is a major public health challenges in the Region of the Americas. While preventing violence requires a multisectoral response, the health system has a critical role to play, including providing appropriate care and support to survivors of violence. One of the strengths of the health system response is its access to valuable data to monitor the response to violence, to sensitize others, and to advocate for change. Good health administrative data facilitate the adoption, adaptation, and improvement of the response to violence against women and girls. Generating comparable statistics on cases of violence and the quality of health care offered allows health professionals and those responsible for health management and policymaking to monitor key indicators and make decisions based on scientific evidence. This toolkit aims to support health workers, managers and policymakers in the collection and use of health administrative data on intimate partner and non-partner sexual violence. It includes information sheets that introduce and explain the importance of collecting health administrative data for cases of intimate partner violence and sexual violence and proposes a form for collecting these data and instructions for their correct use. It also stresses the importance of offering a health system response of good quality and based on human rights principles. The kit aligns with existing Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization recommendations and tools and provides practical guidance to health sector staff in the implementation of this guidance and the strengthening of health administrative data on violence against women and girls.
Americas

Nigeria: Amnesty International petitions ICC judges to end Prosecutor’s delaying of justice for atrocity crimes - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
Amnesty International today submitted a legal filing to the Pre-Trial Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on behalf of several victims’ networks, to request an end to the ICC Prosecutor’s indefinite and unfathomable delay to the start of the court’s investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Nigeria.
Nigeria

CFP: Critical Pedagogy Symposium: Decentering the West - Cheryl Oestreicher (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2024)
This year’s Symposium is inspired by the pedagogies and practices of those thinking about colonialism, imperialism, transnationalism, epistemic injustice, and other frameworks for Decentering the West.
Worldwide

Enfants métis du Congo : « La Belgique, enfin, accepte de regarder en face son passé colonial » - Colette Braeckman (Le Soir, 2024)
L’Etat belge a été condamné pour crimes contre l’humanité ce lundi, dans l’affaire des enfants métis du Congo. Cinq femmes ont obtenu gain de cause pour avoir été enlevées de force à leur famille.
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Enfants métis du Congo : « La Belgique, enfin, accepte de regarder en face son passé colonial » - Colette Braeckman (Le Soir, 2024)
L’Etat belge a été condamné pour crimes contre l’humanité ce lundi, dans l’affaire des enfants métis du Congo. Cinq femmes ont obtenu gain de cause pour avoir été enlevées de force à leur famille.
Belgium

A North Korean Voice That Kim Jong-un Would Like to Silence - Sang-Hun, Choe (The New York Times, 2024)
Kim Seongmin, who fled to South Korea in the 1990s, broadcasts to his homeland twice a day, delivering the kind of information Pyongyang is trying hard to suppress.
North Korea
Keywords: Censorship; Content Type: Personal Profile; Defectors (Political); Free North Korea Radio; International Relations; Kim Jong-un; Kim Seongmin; North Korea; Politics and Government; Propaganda; Radio; South Korea

Hawaii Archives shed light on Pearl Harbor Memorial efforts - Kayli Pascal-Martinez (Island News, 2024)
As the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is right around the corner, December 7, 1941, some documents at the Hawaii State Archives help to shed light on that part of Hawaii’s history and the state’s efforts to honor the war dead.
United States of America

Sénégal: Thiaroye 1944, un long désir de vérité - Laurent Correau (RFI, 2024)
Il y a 80 ans s’écrivait l’une des pages tragiques de l’histoire franco-africaine : l’armée française ouvrait le feu sur ses propres hommes, des tirailleurs regroupés dans le camp de Thiaroye au Sénégal. Quatre-vingts ans plus tard, une partie de ce qui s’est passé reste encore dans l’ombre. Les proches des disparus demandent une reconnaissance officielle de ce qui s’est passé et de l’innocence de leurs parents. Des historiens réclament un accès plus ouvert aux archives. Les autorités françaises, elles, marquent une nouvelle étape dans le processus de mémoire en reconnaissant qu’un massacre a bien eu lieu à Thiaroye, le 1er décembre 1944.
France

Sénégal: Thiaroye 1944, un long désir de vérité - Laurent Correau (RFI, 2024)
Il y a 80 ans s’écrivait l’une des pages tragiques de l’histoire franco-africaine : l’armée française ouvrait le feu sur ses propres hommes, des tirailleurs regroupés dans le camp de Thiaroye au Sénégal. Quatre-vingts ans plus tard, une partie de ce qui s’est passé reste encore dans l’ombre. Les proches des disparus demandent une reconnaissance officielle de ce qui s’est passé et de l’innocence de leurs parents. Des historiens réclament un accès plus ouvert aux archives. Les autorités françaises, elles, marquent une nouvelle étape dans le processus de mémoire en reconnaissant qu’un massacre a bien eu lieu à Thiaroye, le 1er décembre 1944.
Senegal

Accelerating humanitarian response: Inside MapAction’s Automated Data Pipeline - Evangelos Diakatos (Map Action, 2024)
In times of crisis, timely and accurate geospatial data is crucial for effective humanitarian response. This GIS Day 2024, we discuss a new project: an automated data pipeline to streamline the collection and preparation of essential geospatial datasets for emergencies. By replicating the data scramble process our GIS teams typically perform during emergencies, the MapAction Automated Data Pipeline aims to expedite the delivery of critical information to those who need it most.
Worldwide

Chief archivist apology to survivors of abuse in care - New Zealand Archives (New Zealand Archives, 2024)
The Chief Archivist Anahera Morehu sincerely apologises on behalf of Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand (previously the National Archives) for failing to effectively monitor Government recordkeeping
New Zealand

CFP: Item Not Found: Accounting for Loss in Libraries, Archives and Other Heritage and Memory Organizations - Cheryl Oestreicher (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2024)
Call for Book Chapter Proposals for Item Not Found: Accounting for Loss in Libraries, Archives and Other Heritage and Memory Organizations
Worldwide

Les commissaires à l’information et les ombuds du Canada adoptent une résolution conjointe réclamant une transparence accrue dans les opérations gouvernementales - Commissaires à l’information du Canada (Information Commissioner of Canada, 2024)
Dans une résolution conjointe, les commissaires à l’information et les ombuds fédéral, provinciaux et territoriaux demandent à leurs gouvernements respectifs de donner la priorité à la transparence dès les premières étapes de la conception de nouveaux systèmes, processus administratifs, procédures et modèles de gouvernance. Cette résolution reflète la nécessité d’adopter une nouvelle norme eu égard aux services gouvernementaux et un engagement collectif à favoriser une culture de transparence et de responsabilité à tous les ordres de gouvernement au Canada.
Canada

Canada’s Information Commissioners and Ombuds issue joint resolution calling for enhanced transparency in government operations - Information Commissioner of Canada (Information Commissioner of Canada, 2024)
In a joint resolution, Canada’s Information Commissioners and Ombuds from federal, provincial, and territorial jurisdictions are pressing their respective governments to prioritize transparency in the design and implementation of new systems, administrative processes, procedures, and governance models. This resolution reflects the need for a new standard in government operations and a collective commitment to fostering a culture of transparency and accountability across all levels of government in Canada.
Canada

‘I claimed our data’ – confronting the colonial archive is ‘intense Aboriginal love’ in action - Green, Charmaine Papertalk (The Conversation, 2024)
Charmaine Papertalk Green sifts through the violent, traumatic colonial archive, to know more about her Old People. It’s heartbreaking work, but a sliver of information can make a world of difference.
New Zealand

ICA SAHR - El Archivo de la Vicaria de la Solidaridad: Pasado, Presente, Futuro, Maria Paz Vergara Low - ICA International Council on Archives (2024)
La presentación dará a conocer el Archivo de la Vicaría de la Solidaridad, el rol que jugó durante la dictadura militar en Chile y el valor que tiene en la actualidad y para el futuro. Se destaca cómo el Archivo va dando cuenta de la historia del país, de quienes fueron las víctimas, y de cómo se va comportando la represión, constituyéndose así en una verdad documentada de nuestro pasado reciente. Se dará cuenta del papel que ha tenido el Archivo desde el retorno a la democracia en 1990, siendo la principal fuente de información para las distintas Comisiones de Verdad, e instancias creadas por los gobiernos democráticos para avanzar en el esclarecimiento de las violaciones a los derechos humanos durante la dictadura militar, y determinar medidas reparatorias para las víctimas, como también para los tribunales de justicia y para las propias víctimas, contribuyendo en la búsqueda de verdad, obtención de justicia y reparación. También el Archivo tiene como misión facilitar la recuperación y preservación de la memoria histórica sobre las violaciones a los derechos humanos ocurridas durante la dictadura militar, y ser un aporte a la educación de las nuevas generaciones para que hechos tan dolorosos como los ocurridos en el pasado, no se repitan. https://www.ica.org/es/event/el-archi...

ICA SAHR - Les archives du mouvement ATD Quart-Monde par Paule René-Bazin - ICA International Council on Archives (2024)
IIl est très exceptionnel qu’un mouvement à l’instigation de son fondateur mette l’histoire au cœur de son action et, de ce fait, porte grand intérêt à ses archives, soucieux de les conserver au mieux, persuadé de leur utilité. Il est même probablement unique qu’un fondateur assigne à son mouvement comme objectif de permettre aux populations concernées, à savoir les plus pauvres, de s’approprier leurs archives et par là leur histoire. En 2023, l’importance de l’action auprès des instances internationales pour faire reconnaître les droits des plus pauvres a été illustrée par un événement célébré par le Mouvement : ces archives ont en effet été inscrites au Registre international Mémoire du Monde de l’Unesco. Plus d'informations : https://www.ica.org/fr/event/sahr-cyc...

ICA SAHR - The Residual Special Court Archive for Sierra Leone - Preserving the Memories of a Civil War - ICA International Council on Archives (2024)
The Residual Special Court Archive for Sierra Leone - Preserving the Memories of a Civil War: From the Archivists’ Perspective by Aminata Kpewa-Allen, Heather Faulkner and Andreas Nef. Summary The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) was the first hybrid tribunal created through a joint agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone to try those who bore the greatest responsibility for a civil war which devastated the country from 1991-2002. Following the completion of final appeals, in 2013 the SCSL entered its residual phase (RSCSL), which counts the management of archives amongst its most important functions. The Archives of the RSCSL/SCSL is an extremely valuable collection, documenting the war crimes and atrocities carried out by several warring factions during the conflict. It also represents evidence of the efforts of the Sierra Leonean and international legal community who worked tirelessly to deliver justice, and to demonstrate that perpetrators cannot expect impunity for their actions. These records are important with regards to their impact on both national and international jurisprudence among other convictions, the principle of joint criminal enterprise, forced marriage and prosecution of the crime of recruiting and using child soldiers. During this session, two of the archivists involved in the creation of the RSCSL archives within the Office of the Prosecutor and the RSCSL Registry will share their experiences, impressions and lessons learned on the complex task of securing a complex and sensitive archive for the continued operation of the courts’ residual functions and as a tool for understanding of human rights abuses. Guest Speakers Aminata Kpewa-Allen is an Archivist working at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) and its successor institution, the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL). She has worked in this organization for more than a decade, first as an evidence custodian for the office of the Prosecutor, and now within the Archives of the RSCSL Registry. Aminata has also worked as an Information Management professional for UN-OPCW Joint Investigative mission in Syria and worked in Timor Leste (East Timor) as the Head of the Evidence Unit in the Office of the Prosecutor for the UN Serious Crimes Unit. Aminata has an MSc in Records Management and Digital Preservation from the University of Dundee in Scotland and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Sierra Leone. She currently lives in The Hague, Netherlands. Heather Faulkner is an Archivist with a specialization in humanitarian archives. During her career, she has worked for Amnesty International, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and has headed the Access and Research unit in the Records and Archives Section of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since 2013. She has a BA in History and Politics from the University of Sheffield and a Masters in Archives and Records Management from the University of Liverpool. She currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland. Andreas Nef has started as archivist, and subsequently worked in different roles, in recent years as technical lead and Chief Technology Officer, focusing on digital preservation and implementing e-archives. A member of the Swiss Expert Pool for Civilian Peacebuilding, he has been deployed as archiving consultant for the Special Court of Sierra Leone in 2009 and continues to support the Residual SCSL. As an external expert, he has also collaborated in different projects with Swisspeace and their "Dealing with the Past" team. He is a member of the Executive Board of the ICA Section on Human Rights as well as the METS Editorial Board.

ICA SAHR - The archives of victims of political repression of the soviet regime: Memorial International - ICA International Council on Archives (2024)
The archives of victims of political repression of the soviet regime: Memorial International, by Elena Zhemkova, Executive Director of Memorial International from 1995 until 2022. Introduction and moderation by Jose Maria Faraldo Jarillo, profesor of the University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense). With the collaboration of the European Observatory on Memories-EUROM. Summary Elena Zhemkova will talk about the main questions related to Memorial records and archives and their use for supporting human rights: 1) how have them been collected and used, mainly by victims of repression or human rights abuses; 2) which are the most important threats against Memorial and its documentary heritage, have any of the records been destroyed or seized within the judicial and political attacks against Memorial?; 3) how Memorial archives are being protected and preserved in the current Russian political situation; 4) what has been the role of Memorial in the fight for opening the public archives of the former USSR; 5) which is the position taken by Memorial on the Ucrania war. Biography Elena Zhemkova graduated from the Mathematical Faculty of Odessa University and the International Management Systems Consulting Company (MSI, USA). In 1987, she became one of the founders of the “Memorial Initiative Group” and in 1988 a member of Memorial’s Board. She has been Executive Director of Memorial International from 1995 until 2022 when it was liquidated by the Russian Supreme court. She has been notably responsible for the project "Victims of two Dictatorships", the 3 – 5 million persons taken from the former USSR during World War II by the Nazis for forced labour and for this reason, persecuted again by their own government after their return to the USSR. She has been involved in major original research, publications, and exhibitions in relation to this work for over 30 years. In 1996-2011 she has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Foundation "Understanding and Reconciliation", which paid compensation for this forced labour, funded by the German government, and in 2018-2022 a member of the Russian Interdepartmental Working Group aiming at perpetuating the memory of victims of Political Repression. Since 2015, she is a member of the International Scientific Council of the Topography of Terror Foundation (Germany), which studies the crimes of the Nazi regime and since 2018, a member of the International Scientific Council of the Documentation Center for Forced Labor by the Nazi Regime, in Berlin-Schoeneweide. In recent years, she has coordinated the International Memorial network, which includes more than 30 regional organizations in Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. Since 2023, Elena works as the director of Zukunft Memorial in Germany. Zukunft Memorial (Future Memorial) is one of the 15 founding organizations of the new International Memorial Association. Zukunft Memorial was founded by Memorial members who were forcibly relocated from Russia to Germany. Zukunft Memorial continue the activities carried out in Russia for many decades related to state repression, including historical research, collection and preservation of archives, and public education. The main areas of her research interests are the history of political repression, comparative analysis of Nazi and Soviet repressive mechanisms, memorialization of victims of political repression (monuments, toponymy, etc.) as well as the development of civil society organizations and their means of support; educational work with young people; and the establishment of democratic values and human rights. The presentation will be delivered in Russian with simultaneous translation into English (translation provided by the European Observatory in Memories (EUROM), Solidarity Foundation, University of Barcelona).

ICA SAHR – The use of the Khmer Rouge archives as judicial evidence - ICA International Council on Archives (2024)
Song Pheaktra and Helen Jarvis: The use of the Khmer Rouge archives as judicial evidence by the People's Revolutionary Tribunal (1979) and the Extraordinary Chambers for the Courts of Cambodia (2007-2022) Song Pheaktra will introduce the various categories of documents left behind by the Khmer Rouge when they left the S-21 prison (including so-called confessions; biographies; photographs; guard notebooks and name lists of over 18,000 prisoners), which have now been digitised and made available on the museum's web site. Helen Jarvis will then go on to discuss how these archives provided crucial evidence of the crimes committed in two major trials: the world's first genocide tribunal in 1979, later verified in more detail in the recently concluded hybrid Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. These archives were inscribed on both regional and international registers of UNESCO's Memory of the World, and the museum was the recipient of the 2020 UNESCO/MoW Jikji Prize for preservation of documentary heritage. Biographies Song Pheaktra graduated from the Royal University of Phnom Penh in 2022 with a Master Degree in History. In 2016, he began his career working with local NGOs on ethnic minority research and documentation, and later he moved to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. In 2018, he was appointed to be head of archives section and is in charge of several research projects at the museum. He leads the team of 12 staff to collect, preserve, digitise and the use of archival materials of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which is now recognized as the biggest archives existing from the Khmer Rouge regime. Pheaktra combines history and archives skill in his academic life. He participated in many seminars, workshops and training sessions on the archival profession, for example in September 2023 he joined a comprehensive course on Record and Archives Management in the Haute École de gestion de Genève, Switzerland. In 2021, he presented his master thesis on “S-21 Documentation and the Early Development of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archives in the People’s Republic of Kampuchea”. Helen Jarvis, PhD University of Sydney, BA (Hons) Australian National University, Associate of the Library Association of Australia and former Head of the School of Information, Library and Archive Studies at the University of New South Wales. Helen is currently Chair of the Register Sub-Committee of Memory of the World’s Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) and was a member of MoW’s International Advisory Committee (2013-2018). Since the mid-1990s, Helen has worked in Cambodia on cultural heritage and documentation and justice for genocide. She was Documentation Consultant for Yale University’s Cambodian Genocide Program; a member of the Cambodian Government Task Force for the Khmer Rouge Trials; and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) as Chief of Public Affairs and then Chief of the Victims’ Support Section. She works closely with Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in matters relating to archives and documentation. She was the author of the chapter “The Pathway to the Recommendation concerning the preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage including in digital form”, in The UNESCO Memory of the World programme : key aspects and developments, edited by Ray Edmondson, Lothar Jordan and Anca Claudia Prodan. (Heritage Studies Series) Cham, Switzerland : Springer, 2020. She holds both Australian and Cambodian nationality and is an Adviser to the Royal Government of Cambodia.

ICA SAHR – Derechos humanos, archivos y archivistas en Argentina - Mariana Nazar - ICA International Council on Archives (2024)
"Mario Polanco, Director del GAM: Los archivos de las víctimas: el Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (GAM) de Guatemala El Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo surge a inicios de 1984 y durante 40 años ha trabajado acompañando a víctimas y familiares de la práctica de desaparición forzada de personas ocurridas en Guatemala. Además, ha trabajado en favor de los derechos humanos, la transparencia y el fortalecimiento del Estado de Derecho. Creado y articulado por esposas, hermanas, hijas, madres y otros familiares de personas detenidas ilegalmente y desaparecidas, durante estas cuatro décadas ha realizado, entre otras actividades, la recolección de información acerca de este tipo de crímenes de lesa humanidad. Desde su creación como organización de familiares víctimas, se vio en la necesidad de recibir cerca de cuatro mil denuncias de detención ilegal de personas para su posterior desaparición forzada. Muchos de estos formularios, en los que constaba información individual, fueron incrementándose en volumen, debido a que se presentaron acciones judiciales como recursos de exhibición personal, solicitudes de investigación, esfuerzos de solidaridad en favor de la mayoría de esas víctimas y documentos de identificación personal que fueron aportados por algunas de las familias. Las acciones legales que el GAM ha impulsado contra los responsables de crímenes de lesa humanidad, en los cuales ha hecho uso de su archivo (que no es histórico, pues se trata de un “archivo vivo” debido a que está conformado por casos), ha provocado que sus integrantes, especialmente su director, sean víctimas de ataques constantes, mismo que abarcan señalamientos calumniosos, ataques en redes sociales y además denuncias ante el Ministerio Público. Biografía Doctor en seguridad humana egresado de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala y graduado del curso de negociación y resolución de conflictos de la Universidad de Harvard, en 2004. Es Director ejecutivo del Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (GAM), cargo que ha ocupado durante 15 años a partir de 2000. Es profesor en la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala y en la Universidad Galileo y consultor de organizaciones internacionales entre las que se mencionan la Fundación Oscar Arias y el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo. Es autor de dos libros: Desaparición Forzada en Guatemala y Masacres en Guatemala. También es columnista del diario El Periódico y de varias revistas Gazeta, Indagador, Contrapoder y Asuntos del Sur, (revista virtual http://www.asuntosdelsur.org/). Ha publicado artículos en la revista IPNUSAC de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. Ha sido expositor en eventos académicos en diversos países del continente americano y continente europeo. (Estados Unidos, México, Colombia, Venezuela, Brasil, Chile, Argentina, Italia, Suiza, España, Bélgica, Dinamarca, Austria, Suecia, Francia entre otros)."

ACNUDH | Convocatoria de contribuciones: Estudio sobre "El derecho de los Pueblos Indígenas al acceso a los datos, incluida la recopilación y el desglose de datos" - OHCHR (OHCHR, 2025)
FondoDe conformidad con la resolución 33/25 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, durante su 17º periodo de sesiones en 2024, el Mecanismo de Expertos confirmó su decisión de preparar un estudio sobre "El derecho de los Pueblos Indígenas al acceso los datos, incluida la recopilación y el desglose de datos".

Contribution of the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights to the Call for inputs on 'Study on “Indigenous Peoples right to data, including data collection and disaggregation”' issued by the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights (2025)

OHCHR | Call for Inputs: Study on “Indigenous Peoples right to data, including data collection and disaggregation” - OHCHR Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2025)

Respuesta de la Sección de Archivos y Derechos Humanos del Consejo Internacional de Archivos (ICA/SAHR) a la Convocatoria de contribuciones: Estudio sobre "El derecho de los Pueblos Indígenas al acceso a los datos, incluida la recopilación y el desglose de datos", formulada por el Mecanismo de Expertos sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas (OHCHR EMRIP) - ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights (2025)

Contribution of the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights to the Call for inputs on 'Documentation of serious human rights violations in the context of transitional justice processes' issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, and reparation - ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights (2025)

OHCHR | Call for inputs on 'Documentation of serious human rights violations in the context of transitional justice processes' - OHCHR Special Rapporteur on truth, justice and reparation (2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-12 (December) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-10 (October) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-09 (September) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-08 (August) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-07 (July) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-06 (June) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-05 (May) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-04 (April) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-03 (March) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-02 (February) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2024-01 (January) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2024)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2023-12 (December) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2023)

News from the ICA Section on Archives and Human Rights - 2023-11 (November) - SAHR Newsletter Woking Group (ICA, 2023)

Liberian ex-warlord Prince Johnson dies aged 72 - AFP (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
Former Liberian warlord Prince Johnson, a key player in the country's back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 2003, died Thursday aged 72, officials from his party and the Senate told AFP. Johnson, who was seen sipping beer in a video as fighters loyal to him tortured then president Samuel Doe to death in 1990, was […]
Liberia

La Norvège s’ouvre à la réconciliation - Andersen, Astrid Nonbo (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
Le 12 novembre, le Parlement norvégien a présenté ses excuses aux Samis, Kvens, Finlandais norvégiens et Finlandais de la Forêt pour sa « politique de norvégianisation » dans le passé. Il a également donné suite au rapport et aux recommandations de la Commission vérité et réconciliation. Trois spécialistes expliquent ce qui ressort de ce rendez-vous longtemps attendu.
Norway

The beginning of Norway’s reconciliation process - Andersen, Astrid Nonbo (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
On November 12, the Norwegian Parliament apologized to the Sami, Kven, Norwegian Finns and Forrest Finns for its “Norwegianization politics” in the past. It also acted on the report and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Three scholars explain what came out of this long-awaited reckoning.
Norway

Macron acknowledges 1944 ‘massacre’ of West African troops by French army - Associated Press (France24, 2024)
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the 1944 killing of West African soldiers in a Senegalese fishing village by French forces was a massacre for the first time. The soldiers had fought alongside the French during World War II, but were killed by their French counterparts in what historians believe was a dispute over unpaid wages.
Senegal