115 results

2020 Year in Review

2020 was a year of unforeseen hardships throughout the world. We may wish to write off last year as a loss and move forward. However, looking back on it as we do in this 2020 Year in Review, in which we highlight our most read content, we can find and take heart in important victories and apply lessons learned in 2021 and beyond.

02/19/21
In Focus

2023 Year in Review

Throughout 2023, ICTJ’s experts have offered their unique perspective on breaking news around the globe as part of the World Report. Their insightful commentaries have brought into focus the impact these events have on victims of human right violations as well as larger struggles for peace and justice. In this edition, we look back on the past year through the Expert’s Choice column.

01/05/24
A collage of feature images from the 2023 Expert's Choice commentaries.
World Report

5 Reasons We Use Multimedia

ICTJ is launching a new multimedia page featuring projects that highlight the human perspective of issues in transitional justice and seek to engage a wide variety of audiences in a discussion on accountability for massive human rights abuses. Here's why we think multimedia can play a key role in deepening public understanding of transitional justice, and convey the guiding principles of ICTJ.

08/06/13
In Focus

Achieving a Delicate Balance: Victim Participation in International and Domestic Criminal Proceedings

The role of victim participation in international criminal proceedings, whether in international, hybrid, or national courts, has long been a matter of public deliberation among criminal justice practitioners and human rights activists. In the aftermath of mass atrocities and repression, the...

08/11/22

by

Elena Naughton

A man and woman embrace, touching foreheads.
In Focus

After Guilty Verdicts in Khmer Rouge Tribunal, Broader Struggle for Accountability Continues in Cambodia

On August 7, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) found two senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, guilty of crimes against humanity. For many victims who have been waiting for 35 years, the judgment still felt like bittersweet justice.

08/21/14
In Focus

After Torture: U.S. Accountability and the Right to Redress

Counterterrorism detainees held in U.S. custody were subject to widespread abuses, including prolonged, arbitrary detention, physical and sexual abuse, enforced disappearance by way of the secret transfer of prisoners to undisclosed locations (“extraordinary rendition”), and other cru...

by

ICTJ; Lisa Magarrell, Lorna Peterson

Report

After Torture Report, Rights of Victims and Accountability for Perpetrators Must Not Be Denied

With the publication of the much-delayed US Senate Intelligence Committee’s partial report on the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, at long last the truth is out. In this op-ed, ICTJ's President David Tolbert asks the United States to acknowledge the truth, hold the perpetrators accountable and address its obligation to the victims of its detention policies.

12/11/14
In Focus

We All Fiddle, and Afghanistan Burns

It only takes a quick skim of the daily news to see how the world has yet again failed Afghan civilians. Afghanistan has not had many good years in the past four decades of war, but the past 15 months have been decidedly fraught. The current chaos and spiking violence are proof that, despite what the US government has proclaimed, the “forever war” rages on. Peace and meaningful, victim-centered justice remain elusive.

08/02/21
A group of women stand together, four of them wearing full face coverings, or abayas, one with her face uncovered
World Report

Allegations of Crimes Against Humanity in Sri Lanka Demand Full Investigation

The allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the final phases of the conflict in Sri Lanka, made in the Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka released on April 25, must be thoroughly investigated. This is the first comprehensive UN report examining the events in the Vanni region between January and May of 2009 and it alleges that “tens of thousands of civilians” were killed. The Government of Sri Lanka, but also the relevant international bodies, cannot claim credibility if these findings are ignored.

04/29/11
In Focus

Amicus Curiae: Case No. 09-160

Whether the government can lawfully rely on Exemption 7(F) of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(7)(F), to withhold photographs depicting the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody without identifying with reasonable specificity any individuals who could reasonably be ...

by

ICTJ, HRW, Amnesty International

Asia: Experts Meet to Discuss Challenges and Opportunities for Prosecuting Serious Crimes

JAKARTA, Nov. 15, 2011 —Experts and stakeholders from Cambodia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Burma, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Nepal, along with international experts are gathering in Jakarta’s Hotel Atlet from November 15–16 to discuss the need for progress on prosecuting serious crimes in Asia.

11/15/11
Press Releases

Civil Society-Led Truth-Seeking Initiatives: Expanding Opportunities for Acknowledgment and Redress

At a time when truth-seeking and reparations initiatives are taking hold across the United States, this report offers reflections from various civil society-led truth-seeking processes. Drawing on case studies from the United States, Colombia, Scotland, and West Papua, the report iden...

People gather around a plaque marking the Greenboro Massacre outside during an inaugural ceremony
Report

Comments on Draft Internal Rules for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

ICTJ provides constructive comments on the draft Internal Rules for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). While the draft Internal Rules provide greater procedural clarity for the ECCC proceedings, ICTJ lists several concerns in five areas that must be focused o...

by

ICTJ

Briefing Paper

Committing to Justice for Serious Human Rights Violations: Lessons from Hybrid Tribunals

This report aims to help practitioners in the transitional justice field to understand the experience of establishing and operating hybrid courts and to address some common assumptions about these entities. To do so, it looks at hybrid or mixed courts in practice, drawing on experienc...

by

Elena Naughton

Report

Continuing Abuses Threaten Myanmar’s Transition to Democracy and Peace, Says ICTJ Report

Continuing political repression, cronyism, and ongoing conflicts are disrupting attempts to put Myanmar on a linear path to democracy, peace, and development, says a new report from the ICTJ. According to the report, titled “Navigating Paths to Justice in Myanmar’s Transition,” dealing with current and historical abuses is essential to achieving genuine progress on peacebuilding and economic development in the country.

07/21/14
Press Releases

U.S. Court of Appeals: Ali v. Rumsfeld Brief of Amici Curiae

This Brief of Amici Curiae is respectfully submitted by several human rights and torture treatment organizations pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 29 and District of Columbia Circuit Rule 29. The Brief is filed in support of the Plaintiffs-Appellants and seeks the revers...

by

Aceves, William J; et al

Criminal Justice for Criminal Policy: Prosecuting Abuses of Detainees in U.S. Counterterrorism Operations (Briefing)

On August 24, 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he was appointing Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham to conduct a preliminary review into the possibility that federal laws were violated in the interrogation of specific detainees outside of the United States. The ...

by

ICTJ

Briefing Paper

Criminal Justice for Criminal Policy: Prosecuting Abuses of Detainees in U.S. Counterterrorism Operations

The report documents that practices that included slamming detainees into walls, extended sleep deprivation, suspending them by the arms, forced nudity, threats, prolonged shackling in uncomfortable positions and disrespect of the Qur'an, were the result of officially sanctioned polic...

by

ICTJ; Carolyn Patty Blum, Lisa Magarrell, Marieke Wierda

Report

Department of Defense v. American Civil Liberties Union Brief

Amicus curiae on petition for a writ of certiorari, to the United States Court of Appeals for the second circuit.

by

US Supreme Court

Briefing Paper

Disrupting Cycles of Discontent: Transitional Justice and Prevention in the Philippines

This report examines the contribution of transitional justice to prevention in the Philippines, as well as the limits of this contribution due to the failure to comprehensively address and learn from the past and undertake structural changes. While reparations, truth telling, and inst...

by

Robert Francis B. Garcia

Report

‘A Drop of Water on a Hot Stone:’ Justice for Victims in the Central African Republic

Providing justice to victims of human rights abuses in fragile contexts such as the Central African Republic (CAR) is challenging for reasons related not only to the state’s stability, capacity, and political will, but also socioeconomic inequality in the country. This research report...

by

Rim El Gantri and Arnaud Yaliki

A young girl stands in the doorway to her house
Report

Duty to Answer

As attested by the arrest on January 3, 2013 in the United Kingdom of Kumar Lama, a Nepali Army Colonel suspected of torture, the government of Nepal’s failure to pursue truth and accountability for conflict-era violations can have serious consequences. Rather than resisting UK efforts to implement its obligations under international law, the Nepali government should develop a full transitional justice programme and redouble its efforts to provide truth, justice and reparations inside the country.

01/14/13
In Focus

examples of Defence, Intelligence and Justice Investigative Reports into detention and interrogation practices

Research Brief: Selected examples of Defence, Intelligence and Justice Investigative Reports into detention and interrogation practices.

by

ICTJ

Research Brief

Examples of United States Commissions of Inquiry

by

ICTJ

Research Brief

For Sri Lanka to Break Cycle of Impunity Promises Need to Be Kept

Sri Lanka may be undertaking a change of course towards accountability for atrocities committed during its 26-year civil war.

10/26/15
In Focus

Forced Disappearances Are Crimes Against Humanity That Can’t Be Justified

Forced disappearance is a crime against humanity. The decisions made by politicians and officials authorizing such practices in different countries cannot be justified legally or morally. They must be held to account and be shown for what they are: enemies of a civilized society.

09/04/12
In Focus

Greentree Meeting Advances Complementarity from Policy to Practice

As ICTJ co-hosts a discussion on complementarity on the margins of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the principle of ensuring accountability for serious crimes has seen a major breakthrough at a recent high-level meeting at Greentree. The meeting brought together international justice actors, development practitioners, UN representatives, and national rule of law actors to discuss the practical implementation of complementarity and how to strengthen domestic systems seeking to investigate serious crimes.

12/16/11
In Focus

Handbook on Complementarity: An Introduction to the Role of National Courts and the ICC in Prosecuting International Crimes

Where should justice for some of the world’s worst crimes be done? In national courts or at the International Criminal Court in The Hague? Our Handbook on Complementarity explores those questions, laying out the interconnected relationship between the ICC and national court systems in...

by

Paul Seils

Book

Here We Are Again: Will Racist Violence in the United States Ever End?

It happened again. George Floyd’s name is now added to the tragic list—already far too long—of other people of color whose lives have been cut short as a direct result of the United States’ long history of racism and white supremacy. We at ICTJ are outraged by the cruel and senseless murder of an unarmed Black man by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As we try to process this horrific act and grieve the tragic loss of another human life, we must also grapple with the hard truth that it is frankly unsurprising that this list of names continues to grow.

06/05/20

by

Fernando Travesí

In Focus

Holding a Mirror to Society: Acknowledgment and the Struggle for Indigenous Peoples Rights

Indigenous peoples are still some of the most marginalized and vulnerable communities around the world. In a conflict, they are often some of the most affected as their resource-rich territories are coveted by powerful and violent groups, their identity and loyalty perceived with mistrust, and their...

08/08/18
In Focus

ICTJ at 15: A Word from President David Tolbert

Join President David Tolbert as we celebrate ICTJ at 15 years, during which there have been many pivotal moments, both for our organization and the struggle for justice globally.

12/15/16
In Focus

ICTJ at 20 Years: An Ever-Evolving Pursuit for Justice and Sustainable Peace in Societies Grappling with Legacies of Mass Human Rights Violations

This year marks ICTJ’s 20th anniversary. For the past two decades, the organization has engaged in more than 50 countries, providing technical assistance and other critical support to victims, civil society, governments, and other stakeholders. Since its beginnings, ICTJ has served as a meeting point for transitional justice experts and practitioners and a hub of knowledge, research, and analysis. As a think tank that does, it has been at the forefront of the field’s evolution.

05/24/21

by

Fernando Travesí

In Focus

ICTJ Announces a 4-Year, 40 Million SEK Contribution Agreement with Sida

NEW YORK – The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has awarded the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) a grant of 40 million Swedish kronor to implement its Strategic Plan 2018-2022. During this period, ICTJ will respond to the growing demand for its services...

12/04/18
Press Releases

ICTJ Announces Online Course on Prevention and Transitional Justice

New York, January 21, 2022— ICTJ will host an online course, entitled “Prevention and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence: The Role of Transitional Justice,” from March 14 through 18, 2022. Prevention has emerged as a top priority on international policy agendas for sustainable peace and development and global governance, and understanding the preventive capacity of transitional justice is more imperative than ever.

01/21/22
Press Releases

ICTJ Announces Online Debate: Is the International Community Abandoning the Fight Against Impunity?

ICTJ hosts human rights scholar Michael Ignatieff and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for an online debate whether the international community is abandoning the fight against impunity.

01/30/15
In Focus

ICTJ Concerned by Retroactive Sentencing in Bangladesh Genocide Trial

ICTJ has expressed concern over the Bangladesh Supreme Court’s sentencing to death of Abdul Quader Mollah, a senior leader in Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party, for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s 1971 war of independence with Pakistan. The decision retroactively increased Mollah’s original penalty from life imprisonment to capital punishment, in breach of international legal conventions.

09/19/13
Press Releases

ICTJ Congratulates Pablo de Greiff on Nomination for Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice

NEW YORK, March 22, 2011 —The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) congratulates Pablo de Greiff, director of ICTJ’s Research Unit, on the nomination as the first UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence of serious crimes and gross violations of human rights.

03/22/12
Press Releases

ICTJ Forum: Analysis of World Events From a Transitional Justice Perspective

In the first ICTJ Forum, transitional justice experts discuss the upcoming peace negotiations between the Colombian government and leftist FARC rebels, the UN Security Council debate on accountability for crimes against children, the proposed ordinance on a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Nepal, and the first report to the UN Human Rights Council by the recently appointed Special Rapporteur on transitional justice.

09/17/12
Podcasts

ICTJ Forum: January 2013

The latest episode of ICTJ Forum features ICTJ's Marcie Mersky, who joins host and Communications Director Refik Hodzic for an in-depth analysis of news in Guatemala and Nepal, and looks ahead to the next year of transitional justice developments around the world.

01/22/13
Podcasts

ICTJ Launches Special Podcast Series on Complementarity

In an effort to advance dialogue on accountability for crimes against humanity and genocide, ICTJ has launched a special podcast series on complementarity, speaking with leading global voices in international and national justice, civil society, policy, and development. [Download](/sites/default/files/Greentree_Collage_ICTJ_Podcast_12142011.mp3) | Duration: 09:51mins | File size: 5.6KB

12/16/11
Podcasts

ICTJ Mourns the Death of Guatemalan Supreme Court Justice Cesar Barrientos

ICTJ is deeply saddened by the death of Guatemalan Supreme Court Justice Doctor Cesar Barrientos Pellecer, this past March 2. Guatemala has lost one of its greatest crusaders against impunity in the country.

03/05/14
In Focus

ICTJ Organizes U.S. Visit for Syrian Advocates for the Detained and Disappeared

As part of its ongoing efforts to support Syrian civil society organizations seeking to end enforced disappearances in Syria, ICTJ organized a visit to the United States for members of two prominent family associations: Families for Freedom and the Caesar Families Association. The trip, which was planned in coordination with longtime partner Dawlaty, comes at a time when Syrian civil society and victims’ groups have been intensifying their calls for an international mechanism to uncover the fate of those who have gone missing in Syria since the start of the uprising in March 2011.

07/13/22
In Focus

ICTJ Paper Looks at Range of Options for Dealing with Myanmar’s Troubled Past

With hopes running high after the National League for Democracy’s landslide victory in November, a new ICTJ paper calls on the soon-to-be-established Burmese government to seriously consider taking steps to deal with Myanmar’s troubled past as a way to help end the cycle of violence and human rights violations in the conflict-torn country.

12/08/15
Press Releases

ICTJ Program Report: Interview with Paul Seils

The ICTJ Program Report is a new online feature that presents ICTJ’s work and impact around the globe. Through monthly in-depth interviews with our experts, the ICTJ Program Report will offer a view of ICTJ’s work on reparations, criminal justice, truth and memory and other transitional justice developments in countries where we work. To launch the series, we speak with Paul Seils, ICTJ's vice president and the head of our Program Office.

08/01/12
In Focus

ICTJ Program Report: Nepal

During Nepal's armed conflict, more than 13,000 people were killed and 1,300 forcibly disappeared. Today, a new government has voted to create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as a Commission of Inquiry on the Disappearance of Persons. Many victims have protested the flaws in the proposals; meanwhile, no comprehensive reparations have been provided for those left most vulnerable by conflict. In this interview with ICTJ's Santosh Sigdel, we discuss developments related to ICTJ's work in Nepal.

07/01/14
In Focus

ICTJ to Release New Report on Transitional Justice and Foreign Fighters

New York, December 10, 2021— In contexts such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Iraq, Somalia, and Syria, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of individuals have crossed national borders to engage in violent conflicts in which serious human rights violations and mass atrocities have been committed...

12/10/21
Image of Children looking through holes in a tent at al-Hol displacement camp in Hasaka governorate, Syria, on April 2, 2019.
Press Releases

ICTJ Releases New Report on Restorative Justice

In the aftermath of armed conflict or repression, communities often struggle to rebuild social relations that have been damaged or destroyed by violence and abuse. Restorative justice can potentially play a valuable role in such societies, bringing together the people who have been harmed by crimes and the individuals responsible for those harms, often in the form of a dialogue, to address the offense and its consequences. A new ICTJ research report offers insight and guidance on the use of a restorative justice framework in responding to massive and grave human rights violations, drawing primarily from experiences in Colombia, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, and the Philippines’ Bangsamoro region.

04/23/24
A man and audience member holds his phone to record proceedings of panel on the stage in front of him.
Press Releases

ICTJ Strategic Plan 2018-2022

These are especially challenging times for those of us who work to assist societies in dealing with a legacy of atrocities and massive human rights violations. Violent armed conflicts have increased in number, duration, and ferocity around the globe. Immense displacement and waves of ...

Report

ICTJ Welcomes the Election of Fatou Bensouda as Prosecutor of the ICC

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2011 —ICTJ welcomes the election of Fatou Bensouda of Gambia as the next prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Ms. Bensouda was unanimously elected December 12 by the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) during its 10th session in New York City, and will be the court's second prosecutor, commencing in June 2012.

12/14/11
Press Releases

ICTJ Year in Review Podcast with David Tolbert

ICTJ President David Tolbert looks back on transitional justice developments over the span of 2012, talks about the impact of ICTJ's work, and looks ahead to transitional justice developments to come. [Download](/sites/default/files/Tolbert_ICTJ_Podcast_12202012.mp3) | Duration: 30:19mins | File size: 17,760 KB

12/20/12
Podcasts