Where We Work

Middle East and North Africa

In recent years governments and human rights or victims' groups have undertaken transitional justice initiatives in countries as diverse as Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Morocco. At the same time in other parts of the region-Bahrain, Israel/Palestine and Yemen-similar initiatives are under discussion among policy-makers or civil society activists.

The ICTJ has sought to respond to requests for assistance in a number of these countries. In North Africa the Center has worked closely with Morocco's Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) since its inception in early 2004, as well as with Moroccan civil society groups and media. Through regular visits, seminars, and workshops, the Center has provided expertise on establishment of databases for storage and retrieval, protocols for conducting public hearings, global comparative analyses of reparations and gender issues, and preparation of final reports. The ICTJ has continuously stressed the need for transparency and a well-developed communication strategy to keep Moroccan society and the media informed about IER's progress. The Center is now involved in follow-up work, including assistance with implementation of recommendations in the IER's final report.

Since a national referendum in September 2005 approving the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation proposed by Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the ICTJ has continued to work closely with local lawyers and victims' groups to enhance their capacity to search for truth and seek justice. In May 2008, together with a Moroccan partner, the ICTJ organized a four-day workshop in Rabat, Morocco, for a group of Algerian human rights defenders and representatives of victims' groups to examine the challenges posed by government policies to address past abuses and to reflect on strategies to advance victims' rights.

The ICTJ is also continuing its intensive engagement with transitional justice processes in Iraq. Through several meetings and workshops the ICTJ has sought to provide policymakers and legislators with information and analysis to assist in the design and implementation of reparations. The ICTJ advocated against "de-Baathification," maintaining that in the context of widespread Baath party affiliation, individuals should be assessed on the basis of past actions, not party membership. In 2007 the ICTJ provided feedback on draft legislation to a wide variety of stakeholders. In cooperation with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) the Center held a ground-breaking seminar with Iraqi policy-makers on other countries' experience in vetting processes. The Iraqi National Assembly approved a new Justice and Accountability Law that revised some de-Baathification measures in January 2008, but it left many provisions intact. The ICTJ published a translation and analysis of the new law's impact, available below.

The Center is also closely monitoring and commenting on the trials before Iraq's Supreme Criminal Tribunal. The ICTJ has solicited public feedback on the tribunal's design, procedural rules, and operations and has published several briefing papers and analytical reports on the proceedings to date.

The Center has organized technical expert visits to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the goal of facilitating discussions of transitional justice mechanisms with civil society organizations, academic institutions, research institutes, and intergovernmental organizations.

In Lebanon the ICTJ is working with a number of organizations that have requested its expertise and has been involved in efforts to inform local stakeholders about transitional justice experiences in other countries.

Last, in cooperation with local partners in Bahrain the ICTJ helped organize a public seminar on transitional justice experiences in other parts of the world and held meetings with a variety of civil society activists, representatives of victims' groups, academics, parliamentarians, journalists, political figures, and officials from the Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, and Interior.

(Updated June 2008)