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Trudy Huskamp Peterson speaking at a WCC Archives event in Geneva.
People have the right of access to archives of public bodies, argued Trudy
Huskamp Peterson, an archivist from the United States, in her recent
talk organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Archives in
Geneva, Switzerland. She said public access to information is
particularly relevant for archives documenting human rights violations.
“Both public and private entities should open their archives to the greatest extent possible," she said.
Peterson, former acting archivist of the United
States Archives and head of the Records and Archives section of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, made these comments in
her presentation titled “No Closure without Disclosure” on 8 May.
Peterson, who has long-time experience of documenting
human right violations, and working with the archives of truth and
reconciliation commissions in South Africa and Latin America, introduced
the Principles of Access to Archives of the International Council on Archives, speaking on their relevance to issues of transparency and the right to information.
Peterson, chair of the Human Rights Working Group and
the Working Group on Standard Access Principles of the International
Council on Archives, shared several examples from around the world
outlining the importance of the right to information, especially in
relation to human rights.
Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Argentina, the United
Kingdom, the United States, El Salvador, Czechoslovakia, Bangladesh,
South Korea, Canada and Guatemala are some of the countries she
mentioned, where “denial of access to archives” by institutions
prevented access to information on human right violations. In such
situations, Principles of Access to Archives become even more important,
Peterson’s presentation showed.
One of the principals pointed out by Peterson, was
that institutions holding archives should ensure access to archives to
victims of serious crimes under international law. This is true
especially when records provide evidence that can help document human
right violations, and can help victims assert their human rights, even
if such archives are closed to general public.
The presentation by Peterson made several points on
how archives should be made available on equal and fair terms. She also
shared how access to archives should be facilitated in the interest of
historical research, subject to reasonable restrictions aimed at
safeguarding the privacy and security of victims and other individuals.
To make justice mechanisms more effective, Peterson
stressed that it is necessary for archivists to participate in the
decision-making process on access.
She concluded by urging that laws must ensure
creation of records on government business, facilitating transfer to
archives and charging penalties for destruction of the archives.
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