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4.3.2 Security of Information In addition to the safety of those involved, security in handling information is important because of the potential evidentiary value of the information itself. Securing Information To store sensitive or confidential information safely: • Keep information in a secure place. Separate confidential information from non-sensitive information. • Keep this secure location safe from the elements (fire, water, humidity, etc.) and from unauthorized access.208 Restrict the number of people who have access to the confidential information to an absolute minimum. • Store hard copy documents in a lockable filing cabinet if possible, and be aware that a locked or even guarded office may not be enough. Strangers may still be able to enter the premises after office hours. • Do not assist burglars by labeling the filing cabinets in a way that indicates that their contents may be confidential or important. • Avoid carrying any highly sensitive information with you, unless you are, for example, transporting it to a professional investigator, or moving it to a safer place. • As a precautionary measure, do not destroy documents and notes, unless a tangible risk of real danger exists, as these might become useful in subsequent criminal proceedings. • Encode information. For example, instead of names, use a code to identify sources. Avoid using the initials of the source when doing so. Although this may help, it does not sufficiently protect the identity of the contacts. Information can additionally be distorted or disguised by, for instance, reducing the amount of detail kept in a single file. • Make copies of all important documents and keep the copies in a separate, secure place. If there is no copy machine, take a picture using your camera or mobile phone, and send it to someone else for storage. However, beware that carrying sensitive material in 208 Maria Nystedt, Christian Axboe Nielsen and Jann K. Kleffner, A HANDBOOK ON ASSISTING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS 57 (2011), available at https://www.folkebernadotteacademy.se/en/AboutFBA/News/2011/A-Handbook-on-Assisting-Criminal-Investigations/. 129

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PILPG Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Serious Human Rights Violations Sept 2016

Document

Documentation Purpose

Perpetrator-centred documentation

Topic(s)

Data/Information Strategy
Preservation and Archiving
Verification

Type

Guide

Description: Increasingly, civil society actors engage in documentation and investigation processes, seeking to collect evidence against those responsible for serious human rights violations. The purpose of this Handbook is to provide guidelines and best practices for the collection and management of information on serious human rights situations for those that are not professionally trained in such documentation practices. While the Handbook strongly emphasizes the need to refrain from investigating human rights abuses and to refer to professionals, practice shows that this is not always possible. Only under such circumstances and as a last resort may civil society actors consider engaging in certain documentation practices and not in others, always seeking to include professionals when and where possible. They may however only do so by adhering to the ethical principles and documentation guidelines that are provided in this Handbook. These enable unofficial investigators to do no harm, identify security risks, preserve crime scenes, prevent the loss of evidence, and manage the information in manner that preserves confidentiality, security and probative value, with an eye to possible use in later redress processes and without jeopardizing the future work of professionally trained and officially appointed investigators.

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PILPG_Handbook_on_Civil_Society_Documentation_of_Serious_Human_Rights_Violations_Sept_2016_tcm289-785328.pdf
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PILPG Handbook on Civil Society Documentation of Serious Human Rights Violations Sept 2016

Primary Documents

Verification Handbook

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