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.

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

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.”

¿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

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.

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.

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
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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
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.
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

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

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
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.

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.

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.

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.

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
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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’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.

‘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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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.

Emmanuel Macron reconnaît « un massacre » par les forces coloniales en 1944 - Rokhay Ba, Malick; Lozano, Laurent; Agence France-Presse (La Presse, 2024)
Le président français Emmanuel Macron a reconnu jeudi que les forces coloniales françaises avaient commis un « massacre » contre des tirailleurs africains en 1944 près de Dakar, a indiqué le président sénégalais Bassirou Diomaye Faye qui a salué un « pas important » vers la vérité dans un entretien avec l’AFP

Emmanuel Macron reconnaît « un massacre » par les forces coloniales en 1944 - Rokhay Ba, Malick; Lozano, Laurent; Agence France-Presse (La Presse, 2024)
Le président français Emmanuel Macron a reconnu jeudi que les forces coloniales françaises avaient commis un « massacre » contre des tirailleurs africains en 1944 près de Dakar, a indiqué le président sénégalais Bassirou Diomaye Faye qui a salué un « pas important » vers la vérité dans un entretien avec l’AFP

Australia passes world-first law banning under-16s from social media despite safety concerns - Sullivan, Helen (The Guardian, 2024)
Bill passes amid warning that process has been rushed and that a ban could push teenagers towards the dark web or into isolation
Keywords: Australia news; Social media; World news; Young people

Former ICC chief prosecutor says she faced threats and ‘thug-style tactics’ - Davies, Harry (The Guardian, 2024)
Fatou Bensouda says she and her family were subjected to ‘direct threats’ while working on the most sensitive cases
Keywords: Fatou Bensouda; International criminal court; Israel; Law; Middle East and north Africa; The Mossad; World news

Myanmar: ICC Prosecutor Requests Arrest Warrant - Human Rights Watch (2024)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant for Myanmar military commander-in-chief, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, for alleged crimes against humanity is a major step towards justice for the country’s Rohingya population

Exhibition | Recent US Exhibitions Explore the Complexity of Puerto Rican Identity - Gonzalez, Damaly (ArtNews, 2024)
In a portrait from 1928, a Puerto Rican woman holds a devotional painting of the Virgin Mary and child. The work by Miguel Pou y Becerra is titled La promesa. The author mentions a feeling of the broken promise of salvation through Catholicism, forced upon Puerto Rico during Spain’s colonization of the island. At the Rollins Museum of Art in Orlando, Florida (on view through January 5)

Exhibition | Recent US Exhibitions Explore the Complexity of Puerto Rican Identity - Gonzalez, Damaly (ArtNews, 2024)
Rollins Museum of Art in Orlando, Florida (on view through January 5)

UK Supreme Court hears landmark legal challenge over how a ‘woman’ is defined in law - The Gleaner (2024)
LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom Supreme Court on Tuesday began hearing a legal challenge focusing on the definition of “woman” in a long-running dispute between a women's right campaign group and the Scottish government. Five...
Keywords: Scotland

The Colombia Banana Massacre of 1928: The Shocking Story - Dwyer, Cassandra (The Collector, 2024)
A simple workers’ strike led to the death of thousands as American fruit growers attempted to keep prices low with a looming Depression on the horizon.

Toutes les dix minutes, une femme dans le monde est tuée par un proche | - ONU Info (2024)
Selon un nouveau rapport de l’ONU, publié ce lundi 25 novembre, 85.000 femmes ont été tuées de manière intentionnelle en 2023 et le domicile reste « l’endroit le plus dangereux » pour elles, puisque 60 % ont été tuées par « leur conjoint ou d’autres membres de leur famille ». |

One woman killed every 10 minutes: The harrowing global reality of femicide - UN News (2024)

Revealed: Saudi Arabia accused of modifying official Cop29 negotiating text - Carrington, Damian (The Guardian, 2024)
Exclusive: News of changes to usually non-editable document ‘risks placing climate summit in jeopardy'
Keywords: Azerbaijan; Climate aid; Climate crisis; Climate finance; Cop29; Environment; Middle East and north Africa; Saudi Arabia; World news

Preserving cultural heritage in times of war - Abram, Lisa (UVic News, 2024)
Responsible for creating the Conflict Aftermath Digital Archive Project (CADAP), Nathaniel Brunt is working with librarians and historians to ethically preserve and make accessible at-risk, conflict-related visual material.

Enfants soldats : les chefs des FARC accusés de crimes de guerre - Liévano, Andrés Bermúdez (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
En Colombie, six anciens chefs des FARC ont été inculpés pour avoir participé à l'enrôlement d'enfants soldats. Suite à l'annonce de la Juridiction spéciale pour la paix (JEP), ils ont fait savoir qu'ils acceptaient les charges retenues contre eux.

FARC leadership accused of war crimes over child soldiers - Liévano, Andrés Bermúdez (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
In Colombia, six former FARC leaders have been charged with participating in the recruitment of child soldiers. Following the announcement by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), they indicated that they accepted the charges against them.

A Thousand Days of War in Ukraine | Human Rights Watch - Gorbunova, Yulia; Kvitka, Kseniya (2024)
November 19 marks 1,000 days since Russia’'s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This grim milestone highlights the immense suffering the war has brought to Ukrainian civilians in particular as a result of the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Russian forces.

Why Is Canada Protecting the Names of Suspected Nazis? - Noakes, Taylor (The Walrus, 2024)
The concept of a secret registry of names kept by the federal government feels at odds with our perception of Canada. But there is at least one such list—reportedly about 900 names long—that is one of the government’s most closely guarded secrets. It is a record of alleged or suspected war criminals and collaborators who were believed to have found refuge in Canada after the Second World War.

Mamadou Diouf: 'Imperial history can no longer be articulated exclusively by France' - Le Monde (2024)
The president of the commemoration committee for the Thiaroye massacre in Senegal believes that African countries must regain control of their historical narrative, and is calling on France to return all its archives.
Keywords: France

Ottawa to compensate Inuit in Nunavik for mass sled dog slaughter | CBC News - Stefanovich, Olivia (CBC News, 2024)
The federal government says it will offer financial compensation to Inuit in Nunavik for the devastation caused by the mass slaughter of their sled dogs decades ago. More than 1,000 of the dogs that Inuit relied on for their livelihoods were shot to death by Mounties, employees of the Hudson's Bay Company and other authorities during the mid-1950s and late 1960s across Nunavik, the Inuit region of northern Quebec.

Mother-and-baby homes: Nursing homes used for 'secrecy', panel finds - Page, Chris (BBC News, 2024)

Raising the roof: Building resilience through conserving historic homes in the Philippines | UN News - Pamintuan, Jorica (2024)

Renforcer la résilience en préservant les maisons historiques aux Philippines | ONU Info - Pamintuan, Jorica (2024)
L'une des villes coloniales espagnoles les mieux préservées d'Asie, endommagée lors d'un énorme tremblement de terre aux Philippines, est en cours de réparation dans le but de réduire l'impact de futures catastrophes, en partie grâce au soutien de l'organisation éducative et culturelle des Nations Unies, l'UNESCO. |

Malcolm X's family sues US law enforcement agencies for $170 million over allowing assassination - RNZ News (RNZ, 2024)
The family of militant civil rights leader Malcolm X has filed a NZ$170 million lawsuit that accuses law enforcement agencies of allowing his murder to be carried out almost 60 years ago.

Sierra Leone: Authorities must repeal colonial vagrancy laws following historic ECOWAS ruling - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
The Sierra Leonean authorities must repeal vagrancy laws without delay, following a landmark ruling by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court that the colonial-era legislation discriminates against poor people and other marginalized groups, Amnesty International said. The ruling, made on 7 November, found that Sierra Leone’s vagrancy laws – which criminalize anyone […]

The Detached Papers: New records on the transatlantic slave trade on Discovery - The National Archives blog - Hellawell, Phillipa (Records and Research, 2024)
The National Archives has released over 8,000 new catalogue descriptions of documents related to the transatlantic slave trade.

Norway apologises to Sami, Forest Finns and Kvens for forced assimilation policy | Norway | The Guardian - Bryant, Miranda (The Guardian, 2024)
The Norwegian parliament has apologised unreservedly to minority groups and Indigenous people for more than a century of historical injustices committed against them as part of its “Norwegianisation” policy.

Abuse in Care: Government prepares to formally apologise - RNZ News (RNZ News, 2024)
New Zealand's Prime Minister has apologized to the hundreds of thousands of people abused while in state care, and acknowledged the “unimaginable suffering” inflicted in children's homes and psychiatric hospitals.

Violences dans des hôpitaux et foyers de l’État | La Nouvelle-Zélande demande pardon - AFP (La Presse, 2024)
Le premier ministre néo-zélandais a demandé pardon aux centaines de milliers de personnes victimes de violences alors qu’elles étaient prises en charge par l’État, et reconnu les « souffrances inimaginables » infligées dans des foyers pour enfants et hôpitaux psychiatriques.

Il y a 30 ans naissait le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda - Journal de l'Afrique - Masson, Nina (RFI, 2024)
Il y a 30 ans, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies créait le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda. Depuis, 62 ministres, officiers et miliciens ont été condamnés par ce Tribunal pour leur participation dans le génocide des Tutsis. Le TPIR a marqué l’histoire en prononçant le premier jugement international pour génocide. Il a fermé ses portes en 2015, mais l’ONU a mis sur pied un mécanisme chargé de boucler les derniers dossiers.

The Dark History of Australia’s Blackbirding - Relli, Sarah (The Collector, 2024)
For more than 40 years, sugar barons practiced “blackbirding,” removing thousands of South Sea Islanders from their homes to work on sugar cane plantations.

La réhabilitation des fusillés pour l’exemple, "le cadavre dans le placard de la Grande Guerre" - Trouillard, Stéphanie (RFI, 2024)
Cent dix ans après le début de la Première Guerre mondiale, des histoires continuent de ressortir de l'ombre. À l'occasion du 11-Novembre, France 24 vous propose de découvrir celle de Frédéric-Henri Wolff, le seul officier supérieur français fusillé pour l'exemple. L'auteur Éric Viot, qui se bat depuis des années pour obtenir sa réhabilitation, lui a rendu hommage dans un ouvrage.

When White Supremacists Staged the Only Successful Coup in U.S. History - Armstrong, Vanessa (Smithsonian, 2024)
On November 10, 1898, white supremacists in Wilmington, North Carolina, massacred upwards of 60 Black people and overthrew the city’s democratically elected government, instigating the only successful coup d’état in United States history. No one was brought to justice for the horrific violence, and over the next century, the event was largely ignored, whitewashed as a “race riot” if it was mentioned at all.

How the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Continues to Impact Modern Life | Smithsonian Voices | Smithsonian Books Smithsonian Magazine - Sharpe, Christina (Smithsonian Books, 2024)
A new Smithsonian book reckons with the enduring legacies of slavery and capitalism

Justice Info publie le rapport censé être à l'origine du complot génocidaire au Rwanda - Cruvellier, Thierry (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
Pour la 1ère fois, Justice Info publie le rapport complet de la Commission militaire de 1991, qui a été présenté par le procureur du Tribunal pour le Rwanda (TPIR) comme un acte de naissance du projet génocidaire.

Justice Info publishes the report supposedly behind the genocide plot in Rwanda - Cruvellier, Thierry (JusticeInfo.net, 2024)
For the 1st time, Justice Info publishes the full report of the Commission which was presented by the Prosecutor of the Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) as the birth certificate of the genocidal project.

Massacre de Thiaroye : des députés français veulent enfin briser l'omerta - Trouillard, Stéphanie (RFI, 2024)
À l'approche du 80e anniversaire du massacre de tirailleurs sénégalais au camp de Thiaroye, à Dakar, historiens, avocats et députés se sont réunis à l'Assemblée nationale pour une conférence-plaidoyer. Dix ans après l'évocation par le président François Hollande "d'une répression sanglante", ils réclament une reconnaissance officielle de ce massacre par la France et la création d'une commission d'enquête parlementaire.

Macron 'acknowledges' France responsible for 1957 assassination of Algerian nationalist Larbi Ben M'hidi - Kessous, Mustapha (2024)
The young political-military leader of the National Liberation Front was hanged on the night of March 3, 1957, during the Battle of Algiers, by French soldiers who disguised the death of this 'national hero' as a suicide.
Keywords: France

National Archives Aids in Tulsa Riot Mass Burial Identification - Lebonick, Cara Moore (National Archives, 2024)
By Cara Moore Lebonick | National Archives News ST. LOUIS, November 4, 2024 — On the 100-year anniversary of race riots erupting in the predominantly Black-populated and affluent Greenwood District in the city of Tulsa, OK, the city launched an investigation into unmarked graves in likely mass burial sites resulting from the riots. The laboratory assisting Tulsa, Intermountain Forensics, turned to the National Archives for records to help identify individuals from those graves.

Group looks to determine scope of forced sterilization - Molesh, Omar (The Toronto Star, 2024)
Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice hopes to of chronicle the history of First Nation, Inuit and Metis women and girls being forcefully sterilized and getting a better idea of how many people it affected.

For one survivor, the 1920 Election Day massacre in Florida was ‘the night the devil got loose’ - Podair, Gerald (The Conversation, 2024)
Mose Norman, a Black registered voter, was ready to cast his ballot for presidential candidate Warren G. Harding. But when he arrived at his polling place on Election Day, Nov. 2, 1920, in the orange grove town of Ocoee, Florida, near Orlando, Norman was turned away by white election officials because of supposed unpaid poll taxes. His name and the names of hundreds of other registered Black voters had been removed from the rolls by white poll workers.

Algérie: Emmanuel Macron reconnaît «l'assassinat» de Larbi Ben M'hidi «par des militaires français» - RFI (RFI, 2024)
Le président français Emmanuel Macron a reconnu, vendredi 1er novembre 2024, « l'assassinat » du dirigeant du Front de libération nationale (FLN) Larbi Ben M'hidi « par des militaires français », à l'occasion du 70e anniversaire de l'insurrection du 1er novembre 1954 qui ouvrit la guerre d'Algérie.

(Counter-)Archive: Memorial Practices of the Soviet Underground - Smola, Klavdia; Kukulin, Ilya; Bachmaier, Annelie (Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies, 2024)
Focuses on the archive as a form of art employed by various groups of the late Soviet underground, aiming to approach old archival materials related to the Soviet cultural underground on a meta-level of analysis to explore unofficial cultures, the history of state socialism, and topics of suppressed cultural memory
Keywords: Archive; Memory; Slavic studies; Soviet history; art history; communism; counter-archives; cultural memory; self-archiving; suppressed memory; underground culture; unofficial culture

Reading the Archival Revolution - Vatulescu, Cristina (Stanford University Press, 2024)
The opening of classified documents from the Soviet era has been dubbed the "archival revolution" due to its unprecedented scale, drama, and impact. With a storyteller's sensibility, Cristina Vatulescu identifies and takes on the main challenges of reading in these archives.

The price America paid for its first big immigration crackdown : Planet Money : NPR - Rosalsky, Greg (NPR, 2024)
The Chinese Exclusion Act is widely considered to be the first significant crackdown on immigration in American history. It's a riveting tale that parallels today and may provide insights into the economic consequences of immigration restrictions and mass deportations.

Project reveals UK sites where black Americans fought to end slavery - Osuh, Chris (The Guardian, 2024)
Missing Pieces Project maps buildings in 189 locations where African American abolitionists spoke against slavery
Keywords: Activism; Culture; England; Heritage; Race; Slavery; UK news; US news; World news

Project reveals UK sites where black Americans fought to end slavery - Osuh, Chris (The Guardian, 2024)
Missing Pieces Project maps buildings in 189 locations where African American abolitionists spoke against slavery
Keywords: Activism; Culture; England; Heritage; Race; Slavery; UK news; US news; World news

White House press office altered transcript of Biden ‘garbage remark’ call - Press, Associated (The Guardian, 2024)
Transcript released by the White House added an apostrophe to ‘supporters’ to change meaning after conferring with Biden, email shows
Keywords: Biden administration; Donald Trump; Joe Biden; US elections 2024; US news; US politics

Armenia: Surveillance Bill Threatens Right - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
The Armenian government’s bill for the mandatory installation of video surveillance systems with 24-hour police access throughout the capital, Yerevan, is unjustified and interferes with privacy and other rights.

It’s Going to Take a Constant Fight to Preserve the Historical Record - Robinson, Nathan J. (Current Affairs, 2024)
The National Archives museum is backsliding into a sanitized mythological retelling of American history. Don’t assume the truth will prevail.

Renowned photographer donates refusenik archives to South Texas Jewish Archives - The Jewish Herald-Voice (The Jewish Herald-Voice, 2024)
On Monday, Oct. 21, the Joan and Stanford Alexander South Texas Jewish Archives hosted a special lecture featuring renowned photographer and activist Janice Rubin. Entitled “Refuseniks Revealed: Stories of Struggle and Hope from the Soviet Union,” the talk shed light on Rubin’s daring 1986 mission to document the lives of Soviet Jews denied permission to emigrate – a group known as “refuseniks.”

Renowned photographer donates refusenik archives to South Texas Jewish Archives - The Jewish Herald-Voice (The Jewish Herald-Voice, 2024)
On Monday, Oct. 21, the Joan and Stanford Alexander South Texas Jewish Archives hosted a special lecture featuring renowned photographer and activist Janice Rubin. Entitled “Refuseniks Revealed: Stories of Struggle and Hope from the Soviet Union,” the talk shed light on Rubin’s daring 1986 mission to document the lives of Soviet Jews denied permission to emigrate – a group known as “refuseniks.”

Thailand: Silencing dissent and the fight for free expression - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2024)
Silencing Dissent: Defamation Laws and the Fight for Free Expression in Thailand, underscores an urgent call for reform to protect freedom of expression and align the country’s legislation with international human rights standards.

Türkiye: Workshops on freedom of expression standards and Council of Europe mechanisms - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2024)
Two-day workshops on freedom of expression standards and Council of Europe applications on 12-13 November in Istanbul, Türkiye.

South Carolina’s Penn Center included in Unesco network to preserve enslaved people’s history - Hellmann, Melissa (The Guardian, 2024)
Center was one of the first US schools for formerly enslaved people, and now preserves Gullah Geechee culture
Keywords: Black US culture; Culture; Race; Slavery; South Carolina; US news; Unesco; United Nations

EU: ARTICLE 19 contributes to Access Info’s report on access to documents - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2024)
ARTICLE 19 contributed to a report aimed at EU institutions on improving the implementation of the public's right to access EU documents.

Biden apologizes for government's role in running Native American boarding schools - Pietrorazio, Gabriel (NPR, 2024)
Calling it "a blot on American history," president Biden formally apologized for the federal government's role in running boarding schools where thousands of Native American children endured abuse, neglect and eradication of their tribal identities.

Joe Biden présente des excuses historiques à propos des pensionnats pour Autochtones - Agence France-Presse (Radio-Canada, 2024)
Le président américain Joe Biden a présenté vendredi des excuses rares et historiques pour les atrocités commises durant plus d'un siècle dans des pensionnats où des dizaines de milliers d'enfants autochtones, arrachés à leur famille par l'État, ont été placés et maltraités dans un but d'assimilation forcée.

Concerns raised over access to UK Biobank data after ‘race scientists’ claims - Pegg, David; Devlin, Hannah; Burgis, Tom (The Guardian, 2024)
Expert says any suggestion of Human Diversity Foundation accessing sensitive data could affect public trust in science.
Keywords: Data protection; Genetics; Medical research; Science; UK news

1960s civil rights protesters who staged historic sit-in finally have arrest records cleared - Press, JEFFREY COLLINS-Associated (Winston-Salem Journal, 2024)
A judge in South Carolina has erased the records of seven Black men arrested in 1960 for sitting at an all-white lunch counter.

Plus de 350 défenseurs de l’environnement assassinés en six ans - Agence France-Presse (La Presse, 2024)
Plus de 350 défenseurs de l’environnement ont été assassinés ces six dernières années en Colombie, pays hôte de la COP16 sur la biodiversité, révèle l’ONG Fondation Paix et Réconciliation (PARES) dans un rapport publié mercredi à Cali.

Gun Companies Gave Customers’ Sensitive Personal Information to Political Operatives - Johnson, Corey G. (ProPublica, 2024)
At least 10 gun industry businesses, including Glock, Smith & Wesson, Remington and Mossberg, secretly handed over names, addresses and other data to lobbyists, who used the details to rally firearm owners to elect pro-gun politicians.

King Charles heckled in Australia: the crown’s role in Indigenous rights in the Commonwealth - Murphy, Philip (The Conversation, 2024)
There is no avoiding the UK’s issues of colonial legacy.

Navy apologies for destroying Alaska Native village in 1882 - CBS News (CBS News, 2024)
The U.S. Navy issued an apology for destroying an Alaska Native village nearly 150 years ago. The 1882 attack in Angoon killed six children and caused such dire food shortages that villagers starved themselves so children could eat.

European Parliament Revolutionizes Archive Access with Claude AI - Anthropic (Anthropic, 2024)
Discover how the European Parliament uses Anthropic's Claude AI to power Archibot, dramatically improving access to 2.1 million documents. Learn how this AI solution cuts search time by 80% and boosts user satisfaction, while maintaining ethical standards and security.

Unerased - Cooper, Ann (Nieman Reports, 2024)
In response to the threat of erasure, the Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA) has digitised 131 Russian media outlets. The collection, comprising print and online sites, is open access and searchable, with content dating back to the 1990s.

Protect and release our archived personal histories - Finn, Clodagh (Irish Examiner, 2024)
Under new legislation fast-tracked by the Minister for Children, the destruction, alteration or removal of records pertaining to survivors of institutional abuse will be a criminal offence.

The history of Caribbean slavery is being lost. Britain must act now to preserve it - Trevelyan, Laura; Phillip, Nicole (The Guardian, 2024)
Climate-related disasters are destroying precious records.
Keywords: Americas; Barbados; Caribbean; David Lammy; Genealogy; Grenada; Hurricanes; King Charles III; Monarchy; Race; Reparations and reparative justice; Slavery; UK news; World news

The history of Caribbean slavery is being lost. Britain must act now to preserve it - Trevelyan, Laura; Phillip, Nicole (The Guardian, 2024)
Climate-related disasters are destroying precious records.
Keywords: Americas; Barbados; Caribbean; David Lammy; Genealogy; Grenada; Hurricanes; King Charles III; Monarchy; Race; Reparations and reparative justice; Slavery; UK news; World news

UN Cybercrime Convention: A blueprint for human rights violations - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2024)
ARTICLE 19 is seriously concerned about the UN Draft Convention on cybercrime, pending adoption by the UN General Assembly later in 2024.

Illuminating the “Hidden Corners of American Foreign Policy” - Peter Bergen (National Security Archive, 2024)
Bergen and Blanton wax philosophical about the government’s secrecy system and how the Archive’s many exposés, in Bergen’s words, “illuminate the often-hidden corners of American foreign policy.” The wide-ranging conversation explores the many ways that the Archive’s declassified revelations have put Blanton—who Bergen calls one of the “most prolific archivists” of American history—“in the room, both literally and figuratively, with the most powerful people on Earth.”

Charleston Unveils Historical Marker at the Site of Firm That Held the Largest Known U.S. Slave Trade - Hawes, Jennifer Berry (ProPublica, 2024)
As a graduate student at the College of Charleston, Lauren Davila found an ad for the auction of 600 enslaved people. A ProPublica story last year revealed her discovery and unearthed the identity of the family responsible for the sale.

Friday essay: crimes, redemption and rebellion – the truths told in 65,000 years of Australian art are essential for national healing - Mendelssohn, Hoanna (The Conversation, 2024)
The third section of the Uluru Statement from the Heart is Truth. Without knowing the truth of the history of Australia’s Indigenous people, and how the European invasion continues to impact on them, it is hard to understand the pain behind the loss of The Voice referendum and the ongoing need for treaties. Marcia Langton and Judith Ryan are truth tellers. Their book 65,000 years: A Short History of Australian Art, should be in every library in the country. The truths they tell are compelling, enticing – sometimes appalling – and unless they are known, the country cannot heal.

Local industry watchdog sounds alarm over AI stealing South African data on LinkedIn - Schutters, Lindsey (Zawya, 2024)
The South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) has called on the Information Regulator to investigate the use of South African user data by LinkedIn to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models without prior consent. This comes as the association seeks to promote responsible AI practices, ensuring that AI developments do not infringe on individual rights, particularly when it comes to the processing of personal data.

Key lesson of this year’s Nobel Prize: The importance of unlocking data reuse responsibly to… - Stefaan Verhulst; Anna Colom; Marta Poblet (Medium, 2024)
We live in a paradoxical time of both data abundance and data scarcity: a lot of data is being created and stored, but it tends to be inaccessible due to private interests and weak regulations. The challenge, then, is to prevent the misuse of data whilst avoiding its missed use.

International Criminal Court Takes Important Step in DR Congo - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
On October 14, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, Karim A. A. Khan, announced that his office would step up investigative efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing in particular on crimes committed in the North Kivu province since January 2022.

La CPI prend une mesure importante à l’égard de la RD Congo - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
Le 14 octobre, le Procureur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), Karim A. A. Khan, a annoncé que son bureau allait « réactiver » ses enquêtes en République démocratique du Congo, en particulier sur les crimes perpétrés dans la province du Nord-Kivu depuis janvier 2022.

Namibia welcomes back descendants of ethnic group that fled colonial-era brutality - Angula, Vitalio (VOA, 2024)
In Namibia, descendants of people who fled German persecution in the early 1900s are returning to their ancestral homeland. The government of Namibia has set aside five commercial farms for the relocation of almost 100 ethnic Ovaherero people.

Namibia welcomes back descendants of ethnic group that fled colonial-era brutality - Angula, Vitalio (VOA, 2024)
In Namibia, descendants of people who fled German persecution in the early 1900s are returning to their ancestral homeland. The government of Namibia has set aside five commercial farms for the relocation of almost 100 ethnic Ovaherero people.

Dozens of islanders locked up as grim history continues for Annobón - Egbejule, Eromo (The Guardian, 2024)
People who wrote protest letter to Equatorial Guinea authorities latest to feel wrath of draconian regime
Keywords: Africa; Equatorial Guinea; Human rights; Protest; World news

Restitution de l’archipel des Chagos: Une victoire incomplète pour l’île Maurice - Laurence, Jean-Christophe (La Presse, 2024)
Après un demi-siècle de litiges, le Royaume-Uni redonne les clés de l’archipel des Chagos à l’île Maurice. Cinquante-sept îles, sauf Diego Garcia, la plus grande île de l’archipel, qui abrite une base militaire américano-britannique

Restitution de l’archipel des Chagos: Une victoire incomplète pour l’île Maurice - Laurence, Jean-Christophe (La Presse, 2024)
Après un demi-siècle de litiges, le Royaume-Uni redonne les clés de l’archipel des Chagos à l’île Maurice. Cinquante-sept îles, sauf Diego Garcia, la plus grande île de l’archipel, qui abrite une base militaire américano-britannique

Indigenous Sovereignty Is Under Attack as Supreme Court Bends Rules for Settlers - Nagle, Rebecca (Truthout, 2024)
In the past 30 years, Indigenous tribes and tribal interests have lost two-thirds of all United States of America Supreme Court cases.

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers to become eligible to live in UK after new information found - Sabbagh, Dan (The Guardian, 2024)
Estimated 500 rejected cases expected to be overturned after fresh evidence they were employed by the UK government in Afghanistan.
Keywords: Afghanistan; Immigration and asylum; Military; UK news; World news

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers to become eligible to live in UK after new information found - Sabbagh, Dan (The Guardian, 2024)
Estimated 500 rejected cases expected to be overturned after fresh evidence they were employed by the UK government in Afghanistan.
Keywords: Afghanistan; Immigration and asylum; Military; UK news; World news

‘Our heart that burned’: Israel is wiping out centuries of heritage in southern Lebanon - Walid El Houri (Global Voices, 2024)
As thousands are killed and wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine and brutal attacks on Lebanon, the urgent need to save lives and cope with trauma often overshadows the devastating loss caused by the systematic destruction of heritage, memory, and history.

‘Our heart that burned’: Israel is wiping out centuries of heritage in southern Lebanon - Walid El Houri (Global Voices, 2024)
As thousands are killed and wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine and brutal attacks on Lebanon, the urgent need to save lives and cope with trauma often overshadows the devastating loss caused by the systematic destruction of heritage, memory, and history.

Another Troubling Decision For Free Speech in Cameroon - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2024)
Media discussions in Cameroon about the health of its president, Paul Biya, 91, are now outlawed.

NSW will remove 65,000 years of Aboriginal history from its years 7–10 syllabus. It’s a step backwards for education - Westaway, Michael; Pascoe, Bruce; Zarmati, Louise (The Conversation, 2024)
Australia's NSW Education Standards Authority will be removing the teaching of the Aboriginal past prior to European arrival from the Year 7–10 syllabus as of 2027.

French museums participate in Beijing’s erasure of Tibetan identity - Filip Noubel; Choekyi Lhamo (Global Voices, 2024)
Two major Paris museums are using terms other than “Tibet” to describe parts of their Tibetan cultural artifacts collections, thereby aligning themselves with Beijing’s policy of cultural erasure.

French museums participate in Beijing’s erasure of Tibetan identity - Filip Noubel; Choekyi Lhamo (Global Voices, 2024)
Two major Paris museums are using terms other than “Tibet” to describe parts of their Tibetan cultural artifacts collections, thereby aligning themselves with Beijing’s policy of cultural erasure.

Croatian police accused of burning asylum seekers’ phones and passports - Lorenzo Tondo and Amy Hawkins (The Guardian, 2024)
Croatia’s border police force appear to be burning clothing, mobile phones and passports seized from asylum seekers attempting to cross into the European Union before pushing them back to Bosnia.

Argentine military dictatorship gets more sympathetic treatment - LaFranchi, Howard (CSMonitor.com, 2024)
Argentina's once notorious detention and torture center is a museum and memorial, open to the public since 2015. Last year it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the few venues from recent history to figure on the organization’s list. But within weeks of ESMA’s designation as a space of global historic importance came the election of right-wing populist President Javier Milei.

Palestinian archives: cultural heritage looted, destroyed and erased - Adnan, N.Z. (Hyphen, 2024)
Cultural heritage has long been a target of Israel’s war and occupation, with many archives across Gaza and the West Bank now gone forever

Hong Kong: End arbitrary censorship of Flow HK website - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2024)
Authorities' blocking of the Flow HK website is a clear attempt to censor a leading independent voice for Hong Kong and among the diaspora.

When work becomes a party: capturing the joy of collective effort in an Indigenous community in Ecuador - Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (The Guardian, 2024)
Tristan Partridge, a photographer and social anthropologist, spent a decade documenting the working lives of the Kichwa-Panzaleo people of San Isidro for a new book
Keywords: Americas; Art and design; Culture; Ecuador; Global development; Indigenous peoples; Photography; World news

X overtakes WeChat in spreading Chinese disinformation about the 2024 US presidential elections - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2024)
New research indicates that X, formerly Twitter, has overtaken WeChat, the most popular Chinese social media platform, in spreading disinformation about the US presidential elections and policies.

X overtakes WeChat in spreading Chinese disinformation about the 2024 US presidential elections - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2024)
New research indicates that X, formerly Twitter, has overtaken WeChat, the most popular Chinese social media platform, in spreading disinformation about the US presidential elections and policies.

We are Developing AI at the Detriment of the Global South — How a Focus on Responsible Data Re-use - Stefaan G. Verhulst; Peter Addo (Data & Policy Blog, 2024)
Recent research has underlined existing inequalities in artificial intelligence (AI) data production between developed and less-developed countries. An article in The Conversation demonstrated that while most data originates from wealthy countries, much of the less-valued quality-control labour is being outsourced to lower-income countries.

About 16 Million Syrian Citizens are Suffering as a Result of the Syrian Regime’s Control Over Official Documents - Syrian Network for Human Rights (Syrian Network for Human Rights, 2024)
The report notes that that the regime controls the process of issuing those documents in an unlawful and discriminatory manner...the regime has exploited Syrian citizens’ essential need for government documents, imposing excessively costly fees for these documents relative to Syrian citizens’ income

She sought to prove her grandfather was poisoned at Camp Lejeune. Records she found could help thousands. - Chan, Merlissa (NBC News, 2024)
Jessie Hoerman said an archive of historical materials she has collected could help many bolster their challenging water contamination cases.

How hundreds of California police officers have kept past misconduct confidential - John Yang (PBS News, 2024)
For decades, California police departments that want to sever ties with officers for misconduct have agreed to let them resign and to keep the bad behavior confidential in order to avoid lawsuits. But as a result, hundreds of officers have landed new jobs in law enforcement with no records of their past misconduct.

En Guyane, la lente « restitution » du foncier aux peuples autochtones - Papin, Delphine (France Culture, 2024)
Delphine Papin nous emmène de l’autre côté de l’Océan Atlantique, en Guyane française, pour nous raconter l’histoire de ces 400 000 hectares de terre que l’État français a promis de restituer aux amérindiens.

Russia’s Global Information Operations Have Grown Up - DiResta, Josh A. Goldstein, Renée (Foreign Policy, 2024)
What began with Russian trolls on Facebook will require a lot more coordination to root out.

EU's top court sets time-limits on using personal data for targeted ads - Hartmann, Théophane (www.euractiv.com, 2024)
The CJEU ruling could have implications for AI training, where companies scrap data to train AI models, according to the European Center for Digital Rights (Noyb).

Libya situation : ICC Pre-Trial Chamber unseals six arrest warrants. - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court, 2024)
Today, 4 October 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “CPI”) granted the Prosecutor’s request to unseal six arrest warrants issued in the Libya situation on 6 April 2023 and 18 July 2023. The arrest warrants concern war crimes allegedly committed in Tarhunah, including murder, outrages upon personal dignity, cruel treatment, torture, sexual violence and rape.

Situation en Libye : la Chambre préliminaire I de la CPI lève les scellés sur six mandats d’arrêt. - International Criminal Court (International Criminal Court, 2024)
Aujourd’hui, le 4 octobre 2024, la Chambre préliminaire I de la Cour pénale internationale (« CPI » ou « la Cour ») a accordé la demande du Procureur de lever les scellés sur six mandats d’arrêt délivrés dans le cadre de la situation en Libye le 6 avril 2023 et le 18 juillet 2023. Les mandats d’arrêt concernent des crimes de guerre présumés qui auraient été commis à Tarhuna, notamment des meurtres, des atteintes à la dignité personnelle, des traitements cruels, des actes de torture, des violences sexuelles et des viols.

Loot: How Israel Stole Palestinian Property – book review - John Westmoreland (Counterfire, 2024)
Adam Raz’s Loot contributes important new research on how Israelis plundered and dispossessed Palestinians during the Nakba, finds John Westmoreland Adam Raz has made an important addition to the study of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in this detailed volume containing original research.

Loot: How Israel Stole Palestinian Property – book review - John Westmoreland (Counterfire, 2024)
Adam Raz’s Loot contributes important new research on how Israelis plundered and dispossessed Palestinians during the Nakba, finds John Westmoreland Adam Raz has made an important addition to the study of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in this detailed volume containing original research.

Inside the Palestinian Sound Archive: preserving the audiovisual legacy of Palestine, one record at a time - Hingley, Olivia (It's Nice That, 2024)
The Palestinian Sound Archive, compiled by Mo’min Swaitat and the Majazz Project, preserves and releases Palestinian musical heritage, ranging from Palestinian Bedouin music to revolutionary music. In the context of the destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza, Swaitat states the ultimate aim is to "...regain hope of return, for us, and our material culture."

¿Por qué necesitamos una Convención sobre crímenes de lesa humanidad independiente? - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
El término “crímenes de lesa humanidad” hace referencia a los crímenes cometidos como parte de un ataque generalizado y sistemático contra una población civil. Sacuden la conciencia de la propia humanidad. El primer proceso en el que se utilizó el término fueron los juicios de Núremberg contra dirigentes nazis el siglo pasado, en respuesta a los horrores del Holocausto.

Pourquoi une convention spécifique concernant les crimes contre l’humanité ? - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
Le terme « crime contre l’humanité » désigne certains crimes commis dans le cadre d’une attaque généralisée ou systématique contre une population civile. Ce sont des actes qui heurtent profondément la conscience de l’humanité. Ce terme a été utilisé pour la première fois devant une cour de justice au siècle dernier, lors du procès à Nuremberg des dirigeants nazis, pour qualifier les atrocités commises dans le cadre de l’Holocauste.

Why do we need a standalone Convention on Crimes against Humanity? - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2024)
Crimes against humanity refer to certain crimes committed as part of widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population. They shock the conscience of humanity itself. The first prosecution using the term occurred when Nazi leaders were tried at Nuremberg last century, in response to the horrors of the Holocaust.

Preserving the Ephemera of War - Gronlund, Melissa (New Lines Magazine, 2024)
Social media is increasingly important for documenting conflicts and atrocities as they occur, but efforts to store the data for the future are fragile and fragmentary
Keywords: Middle East

IOM Recognized as Main Data Provider in IASC’s Management Response to Independent Review of Humanitarian Response to Internal Displacement - IOM (International Organization for Migration, 2024)
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) welcomes the recognition of its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) as a lead provider of country-level data on internal displacement in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Management Response to the Independent Review of the Humanitarian Response to Internal Displacement