Events

May 6, 2009

Accountability After Mass Atrocity: Latin American and African Examples in Comparative Perspective

The Center for Global Studies and the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University presents:

Symposium
Accountability After Mass Atrocity: Latin American and African Examples in Comparative Perspective

When:
May 6, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Ave, Washington, D.C.

The past several decades have seen the rise of criminal prosecutions-through local, national, regional, and international institutions-as a means of holding alleged perpetrators accountable for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and other serious offenses. Critiques and assessments of these options have also increased. The moment is ripe not only for evaluating the efficacy and appropriateness of accountability efforts but also for raising foundational questions about the principles that underlie responses to mass atrocity. This conference will explore existing and emergent institutions of accountability after mass atrocity from an explicitly comparative perspective. Nations in Latin America and Africa have seen considerable, yet quite different, attention to accountability. This conference will offer scholars and practitioners an opportunity to examine the variety and varied success of justice initiatives in these contexts.

Participants will explore differences in each context with respect to conceptualizing key actors, such as victims, perpetrators, impartial judges, witnesses, and others, and also core concepts, such as accountability, justice, sovereignty, healing, transnationalism, reparations, reconciliation, among others. Moreover, the conference is especially concerned to examine the role of regional and international courts in accountability efforts in each context, and particularly their effects on domestic initiatives, thus shedding light on ser val key issues from a comparative perspective.

Due to limited seating availability, please RSVP to Anne O'Dell at aodell@gmu.edu by April 27.

Agenda

• 8:30 to 9:00 Breakfast and Registration
• 9:00 to 9:15 Welcome
  
  • Peter Mandaville, Center for Global Studies, George Mason University
  • Susan F. Hirsch, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
• 9:15 to 10:45 Panel 1: Latin America's Efforts to Account for Grave Human Rights Violations
  
  • Leigh Payne, University of Oxford
  • Ronald Gamarra*, National Human Rights Committee, Peru
    
  • Jo-Marie Burt, George Mason University
• 10:45 to 11:00 Coffee Break
• 11:00 to 12:30 Panel 2: African Mechanisms of Accountability After Mass Atrocities
  • Mark Drumbl, Washington and Lee University
    
  • David Backer, The College of William and Mary
    
  • Stephen Lamony, Coalition for the International Criminal Court
• 12:30 to 1:30 Lunch
  • Keynote Address by Gitanjali Gutierrrez, Center for Constitutional Rights
• 1:30 to 3:30 Panel 3: Prosecutions as Mechanisms of Accountability
  • Ruti Teitel, New York Law School
    
  • Neil Kritz, United States Institute for Peace
    
  • Diane Orentlicher, American University Washington College of Law
    
  • Susan Benesch, Georgetown University
• 3:30 to 3:45 Coffee Break
• 3:45 to 4:45 Roundtable Discussion
• 4:45 to 5:00 Closing Remarks

 

Note: Participants with a * have been invited, but have not confirmed yet.