Human Rights Watch records : Record Group 11: Middle East and North Africa, 1978-1997, bulk 1989-1994
Summary Information
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- HRW RG 11
- Bib ID:
- 7749013 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Human Rights Watch (Organization). Middle East and North Africa Division
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 36.25 linear feet (29 record cartons)
- Language(s):
- English , Arabic .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
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The records of Human Rights Watch are restricted unless they have been vetted and cleared for use by HRW. If a specific folder has been vetted, the restriction status is noted in the finding aid (open, vetted; restricted until ___). If a folder does not have a specific restriction status, it is unvetted. If you wish to request folders from this collection that are unvetted, please send an email to rbml@columbia.edu detailing the collection, series, box, and folder numbers in which you are interested, as well as a brief description of your research needs. Once Human Rights Watch has reviewed the request, the researcher will be contacted with specific instructions. Please submit requests at least two months in advance of your research visit. [unprocessed -- for flag only]
This collection is located off-site. Please consult the Rare Book and Manuscript Library for further information.
The records of Human Rights Watch are restricted and require the permission of the organization to view, copy, and/or publish. If you wish to request boxes from this collection, please send an email to rbml@columbia.edu detailing the collection, series, and box numbers in which you are interested. Once Human Rights Watch has reviewed the request, the scholar and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library will be contacted with specific instructions.
Description
Summary
Materials include correspondence and e-mail communications, mission reports, testimonies and interviews, addresses and contact lists, confidential interoffice memos, legal and advocacy material, internal planning and policy material, declassified government and United Nations documents, published and unpublished human rights reports from individuals and fellow NGOs, press clippings and news releases, and maps. Another category of documents consists of HRW reports and briefing papers, as well as press releases and open letters to heads of state, governments and various government agencies.
Materials related to missions contain unpublished information on sources, cases, and the state of affairs in various countries. They include professional and personal mission notes taken by country researchers and monitors during investigative field trips, testimonies by and interviews with victims of various human rights abuses, pre-mission and post-mission memos, material on research methodology, correspondence and e-mail communications, addresses and contact lists.
Thematically, these documents cover the various major military and political upheavals occurring in the Middle East and North Africa during the early to middle 1990s. The papers also comprise such human rights initiatives as attempting to bring a case against Iraq at the International Court of Justice, the campaigns to promote freedom of expression, and the rights of women in the region.
Arrangement
This Record Group is arranged into 6 series.
- Series 1: Andrew Whitley, Director, 1978-1995
- Series 2: Aziz Abu Hamad, Associate Director, 1984-1995
- Series 3: Julie Friedman, 1978-1992
- Series 4: Eric Goldstein, Research Director, 1986-1997
- Series 5: Virginia Sherry, Associate Director, 1989-1993
- Series 6: Publications, 1989-1991
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
The records of Human Rights Watch are restricted unless they have been vetted and cleared for use by HRW. If a specific folder has been vetted, the restriction status is noted in the finding aid (open, vetted; restricted until ___). If a folder does not have a specific restriction status, it is unvetted. If you wish to request folders from this collection that are unvetted, please send an email to rbml@columbia.edu detailing the collection, series, box, and folder numbers in which you are interested, as well as a brief description of your research needs. Once Human Rights Watch has reviewed the request, the researcher will be contacted with specific instructions. Please submit requests at least two months in advance of your research visit. [unprocessed -- for flag only]
This collection is located off-site. Please consult the Rare Book and Manuscript Library for further information.
The records of Human Rights Watch are restricted and require the permission of the organization to view, copy, and/or publish. If you wish to request boxes from this collection, please send an email to rbml@columbia.edu detailing the collection, series, and box numbers in which you are interested. Once Human Rights Watch has reviewed the request, the scholar and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library will be contacted with specific instructions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Name of Collection; Box and Folder; Center for Human Rights Documentation and Research, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Accrual
3 Records76.25 linear ft. 1st accession accumulation, 1989-97
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Ownership and Custodial History
This material was originally deposited at the University of Colorado at Boulder by Human Rights Watch in the 1990s. The material was deposited with the Rare Book and Manuscript Library in 2006.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source of acquisition--Human Rights Watch. Method of acquisition--Deposit; Date of acquisition--2006.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Papers processed Christopher M. Laico and Craig P. Savino (NYU, 2008) 2008.
Finding Aid written Christopher M. Laico 2008.
Revision Description
2012-08-14 File created.
2015-09-30 xml document instance updated by Adrien Hilton to reflect restrictions in vetted boxes.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
2021-01-11 Restrictions expiring in 2021 have been lifted. Finding aid updated by CCR.
2022-01-06 Expired restrictions removed. kws
2024-01-05 Expired restrictions removed. kws
Biographical / Historical
This record group contains the records of the United States based Middle East and North Africa Watch, a division of the human rights organization, Human Rights Watch.
Materials include analytical papers, correspondence, memorandums, monitoring reports, news clippings, newsletters, and publications.
These materials document the issues effecting the Arab world during this period. To illustrate, the Gulf War and its after effects in Iraq, Kuwait and the United States are covered in detail. This record group contains the results of fact-finding missions documenting UN humanitarian operations in the Western Sahara and monitoring human rights abuses in the Arab world.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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