Any comments by the interviewer should be separated from the narrative. These might include his or her personal impression of the interviewee, an assessment of the credibility of
the information provided, and the reasons for possible doubts, or additional relevant information the interviewer may have acquired from other sources.
8.2
RECORDS
It is important to keep a systematic record of complaints of individual cases involving allegations of human rights violations. Documents such as victim or witness testimonies and
incident reports are essential in human rights work; thus, it is important that they be stored
properly in a secure place. Press clippings and other forms of documentation related to an
individual complaint should be preserved and routinely filed.
A file of an individual complaint could include the following:
The mission’s report of its interview with the complainant and copies of any other
reports prepared by the mission relating to the case, especially including any reporting
forwarded to OSCE headquarters;
Narratives with the facts presented in a chronological manner;
Copies of evidential documents such as written statements provided by victims or
witnesses themselves, photographs, medical certificates, or autopsy results;
Copies of court records;
Copies of relevant legislation or decrees related to the case, or references of where
to find them;
Press reports about events or persons involved;
A record of any action the mission has taken on the case;
A record of any statements on the case made at the OSCE Permanent Council or
made publicly by the Head of Mission or other senior OSCE officials such as
the Chairman-in-Office or the head of an institution;
Information on any action or statements by government authorities regarding the case.
Reports of individual complaints should be filed first of all under the name of the complainant for easy retrieval and to ensure that no documents related to a particular case are
inadvertently overlooked when dealing with the case.
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8
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