548 results

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

Victims in the Thomas Kwoyelo Case Forced to Wait Longer for Justice

Kampala—On the 23rd of July, the Ugandan Judiciary announced that the pretrial hearing of the case Uganda v. Thomas Kwoyelo had been adjourned indefinitely, due to a shortage of funds needed to hold the hearing. The Pretrial Judge of the International Crimes Division (ICD) was expected to deliver a...

07/25/18
Press Releases

ICTJ Calls for Urgent Steps to Prevent a Repeat of the Faraba Banta Attacks

Last week, police opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing three and injuring several others in Faraba Banta, a small town in southwestern Gambia. ICTJ condemns these acts and supports civil society and victims in their call for swift actions ensuring justice, reparations, and an independent investigation into the causes of the attacks.

06/27/18

by

Fernando Travesí

Press Releases

UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice Discusses New Mandate with ICTJ

ICTJ was pleased to host the newly elected United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence, Fabian Salvioli (Argentina), at its New York office, where he discussed his vision and priorities.

06/26/18
Press Releases

Transitional Justice in Countries Emerging from Conflict: A Step Toward Sustainable Peace and Development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development establishes an ambitious set of goals and targets, the achievement of which will be a formidable challenge for any country struggling with poverty and inequality. This challenge increases dramatically for countries currently experiencing or emerging from violent conflict.

05/31/18
In Focus

Justice for Syrian Victims Beyond Trials: The Need for New, Innovative Uses for Documentation of Human Rights Violations in Syria

By looking at the documentation efforts of Syrian civil society organizations, this paper challenges the notion that criminal prosecution is the sole avenue of justice available for alleged crimes in Syria. Documentation could be used for important other avenues of justice, such as ac...

by

Nousha Kabawat and Fernando Travesí

Briefing Paper

Revitalizing Justice: A Cross-Cultural Conversation with Two Youth Activists

ICTJ's Virginie Ladisch spoke with Heythem Guesmi, a young Tunisian activist who is fighting systemic oppression, economic exclusion, and impunity that persist despite the Revolution’s initial success, and Thenjiwe McHarris, a young organizer working with Black Lives Matter in the United States—a movement whose urgency also stems from historic marginalization leading to widespread impunity and systematic failures in law enforcement.

05/14/18

by

Virginie Ladisch

In Focus

Conference Explores Uncertain Path Forward for Tunisia’s Specialized Criminal Chambers

TUNIS—ICTJ hosted a conference on May 2 and 3 to address the current challenges facing Tunisia’s Specialized Criminal Chambers (SCC) as it proceeds to adjudicate cases of serious human rights violations committed under the former regime. The 90 guests who attended included members of Tunisia’s Truth...

05/10/18
In Focus

The Role of Victims in Criminal Proceedings

This briefing paper focuses on the role of victims of human rights violations in criminal proceedings. This paper will provide examples of recent developments in the advancement of victim participation in criminal proceedings in international criminal law and domestic jurisdictions.  ...

by

Howard Varney and Katarzyna Zduńczyk

Briefing Paper

Transitional Justice in Tunisia: Tension Between the Need for Accountability and Due Process Rights

Pursuing justice in a transitional context may take the form of multiple measures and goes beyond the pursuit of criminal prosecutions. Tunisia’s Basic Law on Transitional Law, adopted in December 2013, is a case in point. Despite its flaws, the the law introduced a fairly comprehensi...

by

Howard Varney and Katarzyna Zduńczyk

Briefing Paper

Legal Frameworks for Specialized Chambers: Comparative Studies for the Tunisian Specialized Criminal Chambers

In some contexts, the global community has resorted to international tribunals to prosecute the most serious past crimes, such as war crimes, crimes against of humanity, and genocide. While these international efforts contributed significantly to international justice, they were resou...

by

Howard Varney and Katarzyna Zduńczyk

Briefing Paper

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 Announces Leadership Changes

ICTJ announces the departure of David Tolbert, President of the ICTJ, after eight years of service. David Tolbert was appointed president of ICTJ in March of 2010. He led the center’s evolution as it continued to pursue justice around the globe in changing times. ICTJ’s Executive Director, Fernando Travesi, will assume leadership of ICTJ following Tolbert’s departure at the end of March 2018.

03/19/18
Press Releases

ICTJ Hosts Intensive Course on Transitional Justice and Peace Processes

Sixteen practitioners participated in the Intensive Course on Transitional Justice and Peace Processes held in New York from March 5 to March 9, 2018. Participants included leaders in their respective fields, including human rights law, community justice and legal services, peacebuilding, education, and humanitarian affairs. Selected course presentations, led by ICTJ experts and other specialists in the field, delved into cases of current, recent, and paradigmatic peace processes and questions of justice within a comparative context.

03/15/18
Press Releases

Central African Refugees Message to Peacekeepers: We Want Inclusion

In recent months, the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) that erupted five years ago has seemed farther than ever from resolution. A new report by ICTJ, I Am 100% Central African: Identity and Inclusion in the Experience of Central African Muslim Refugees in Chad and Cameroon, offers important insights on how a higher political commitment to inclusion could help transform a volatile rebuilding process into a sustainable peace.

03/14/18
Press Releases

Pursuing Truth, Justice, and Redress in Nepal

The ICTJ continues to support human rights victims in Nepal in their pursuit of justice, truth, reparations, and institutional reform. This briefing paper presents a summary of findings and recommendations from workshops that ICTJ conducted with women victims, as well as meetings it h...

by

Elena Naughton

Briefing Paper

Justice for Syrian Victims Beyond Trials: The Need for New, Innovative Uses for Documentation of Human Rights Violations in Syria

When the Syrian people took to the streets in March 2011, nobody could have predicted that the ensuing crisis would become the largest international calamity in recent history. Syrians’ calls for freedom and justice, which rode the wave of revolutions in neighboring countries, have be...

by

Nousha Kabawat and Fernando Travesí

Briefing Paper

Victims of Syrian Conflict to Share Stories in Public Hearing-style Event on March 22

On March 22, Syrian victims and activists will gather in Geneva, Switzerland for a public hearing-style event examining the impact of the destruction of schools in the context of the Syrian conflict. The event will be hosted by the International Center for Transitional Justice and the ten Syrian organizations that together comprise the Save Syrian Schools project. A livestream will be available.

01/26/18
Press Releases

In South Africa, a Ruling in an Apartheid-era Murder Case Opens Paths to Justice

Anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol died in South African police custody in 1971, and his family continues to demand justice. While police claimed Timol died by suicide, evidence indicated that he was tortured and murdered. The family’s tenacious efforts led to the reopening of an inquest into Timol's death this year, with ICTJ senior program advisor Howard Varney representing the family. Last month the Pretoria High Court ruled in the family’s favor, finding that Timol did not kill himself but was indeed murdered while in police custody. ICTJ’s Sam McCann sat down with Varney to discuss the ruling, what it means to Timol’s family, and its significance for the fight for justice in South Africa.

11/29/17
In Focus

ICTJ Denounces the Passage of Tunisia’s New ‘Administrative Reconciliation’ Law that Grants Amnesties to Public Officials for Corruption

The International Center for Transitional Justice denounces the passage of Tunisia’s deeply flawed “Administrative Reconciliation” law, which grants amnesty to public officials who were involved in corruption during the dictatorship but who claim they did not personally gain from it.

09/14/17
Press Releases

To Prevent Enforced Disappearances, Rethink the Justice and Security Equation

With enforced disappearances on the rise, ICTJ President David Tolbert says the path to prevention is clear: the international community must reorder its priorities and change its approach. The disproportionate attention on counterterrorism takes us further away from accountability and prevention, Tolbert writes. He urges the international community to lead the way in unequivocally censoring governments that use enforced disappearance as a political tactic — and ensuring there can be no impunity for this crime.

08/30/17
In Focus

A Noble Dream: The Tenacious Pursuit of Justice in Guatemala

Bring General Rios Montt and other high ranking members of the military to trial in the Guatemalan courts for genocide? In 1999 it was a noble dream for justice, but one with little apparent possibility of ever coming true. On International Justice Day, walk the long path to justice that led to this historic trial.

07/14/17
In Focus

Two Judgments in Chile Mark Progress in Prosecuting State Agents for Enforced Disappearances

Chile has shown slow but steady progress on ​criminal justice​​. Two recent court decisions convicted a total of 139 ​state ​agents for their roles in the enforced disappearances of 21 Chileans. The rulings – one handed down by the Supreme Court, the other by a first instance judge – highlight the growing momentum towards obtaining justice for victims of the 1973-1990 dictatorship​.​

06/19/17
In Focus

New ICTJ Study: Syrian Refugees in Lebanon See Security, Restoration of Dignity as Key Conditions for Return

A new ICTJ report argues that discussions about a future return of refugees and coexistence among groups currently at war in Syria must begin now, even in the face of ongoing violence and displacement.

06/11/17
Press Releases

Not Without Dignity: Views of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon on Displacement, Conditions of Return, and Coexistence

Discussions about a future return of refugees and coexistence among groups currently at war in Syria must begin now, even in the face of ongoing violence and displacement. This report, based on interviews with refugees, makes it clear that the restoration of dignity will be important ...

by

Rim El Gantri and Karim El Mufti

Report