ICTJ in the News

October 2, 2008

UNAMI explores with international partners transitional justice mechanisms

ReliefWeb

By Sabah Abdulrahman

With the logistical assistance of UNOPS, UNAMI hosted on 16 and 17 September 2008 in Erbil a seminar on Transitional Justice with the participation of two experts from the US-based International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). The aim of the seminar was to explore with dozens of representatives from local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) human rights activists and judges, as well as officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Anfal and Martyrs Affairs mechanisms for transitional justice with a particular focus on fact finding and reparations for victims of previous human rights abuses.

On behalf of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, the Head of UNAMI Erbil Regional Office, Mark Rutgers welcomed the participants who gathered to "embark on a seminal discussion of the concepts, lessons learned and application of transitional justice and how these notions and models can be applicable to the Iraqi context."

Throughout the two days of the seminar, the participants discussed in detail transitional justice initiatives, particularly in the Kurdistan Region, after listening to Morocco's implementation experiences of fact finding and reparations provided by Chaouqui Benyoub, a Moroccan lawyer and rights activist who himself was involved in his country's processes of fact finding and reparations.

Upon successful completion of the discussion-based sessions, the participants were divided into two groups to formulate their recommendations for fact finding and reparation mechanisms in Iraq. Noting the lack of a clear understanding from the side of the victims of their right to reparation as well as the absence of clear mechanisms at the government's level for such reparations, one of the two groups recommended the conduction of awareness raising campaigns "to put more pressure on the government to adopt legal measures to ensure the victims' reparations rights, as well as the required mechanisms for this purpose."

The participants expressed their full satisfaction with the seminar, particularly with bringing in ICTJ experts and a Moroccan lawyer who shared his country's experiences with the audience and said he found many similarities with the situation in Iraq. While a participant from a Sulaymaniya-based NGO commented worriedly that he was afraid the recommendations might "sit idle on a government officials' desk, rather then being translated into action", another participant advocated for "pushing and pushing until justice is done the way it should be done."

UNAMI had organized an introductory seminar on Transitional Justice In Iraqi Kurdistan Region in April 2007.

"UNAMI explores with international partners transitional justice mechanisms" originally appeared in ReliefWeb.