Access Policy for the Records held by the Mechanism is issued

The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) on Friday issued an Access Policy for Records held by the MICT (Access Policy), which constitutes the foundation of the organisation’s information security and access regime.

The Access Policy applies to all records managed by the MICT, including inactive records and archives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) which have been transferred to the custody of the MICT, as well as to records and archives created or maintained by the MICT itself. Records that continue to be managed by the ICTY, including those still in active use by the ICTY and the Prosecutor’s evidence collection, are not governed by the Access Policy.

The Access Policy reflects the MICT’s commitment to respecting its obligation that its work shall be open and transparent, and it affirms its commitment to upholding the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Archives. It emphasizes the public’s right to access the MICT’s records and archives and outlines the criteria guiding access requests. In addition, the Access Policy complies with established UN Rules and standards, including ST/SGB/2012/3, while taking into consideration the unique nature of the judicial records.

In accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1966 (2010) and Article 27 of its Statute, the Mechanism is responsible for the management, including preservation and access, of the ICTR, ICTY, and MICT archives.