Why and how can records serve as evidence of human rights violations, in particular crimes against humanity, and help the fight against impunity? Archives and Human Rights shows the close relationship between archives and human rights and discusses the emergence, at the international level, of the principles of the right to truth, justice and reparation.Through a historical overview and topical case studies from different regions of the world, the book discusses how records can concretely support these principles. The current examples also demonstrate how the perception of the role of the archivist has undergone a metamorphosis in recent decades, towards the idea that archivists can and must play an active role in defending basic human rights, first and foremost by enabling access to documentation on human rights violations.Confronting painful memories of the past is a way to make the ghosts disappear and begin building a brighter, more serene future. The establishment of international justice mechanisms and the creation of truth commissions are important elements of this process. The healing begins with the acknowledgement that painful chapters are essential parts of history; archives then play a crucial role by providing evidence. This book is both a tool and an inspiration to use archives in defence of human rights.
The records of the political staff of Government Ministers : problems and proposals.
Government Ministers and their political staff (" cabinet ") traditionally consider their records as their own private property. The continuity of administration suffers from the removals and destructions which are a result of this tradition, and historical research thus loses some of its essential sources. Whatever legal arguments are used, the real reason for such an old tradition is of course of a political nature. However, an evolution is happening, due to a change in mentalities and to an increasing number of " private " deposits of records with the National Archives. This evolution could be improved by the institution of " deposit agreements ", clearly defining the right of access of the depositor and the delays of opening to the public.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.