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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.

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

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.

As Nepal’s parliament enters the final discussions on a draft Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) bill, questions remain regarding the relationship between amnesty and reconciliation provisions within the bill.

During a thematic hearing December 13–14, Kenya's Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) heard testimonies from children on their own experiences as part of the commission's investigation into gross human rights violations and historical injustices in the country between 1963 and 2008.

As part of a special podcast series on complementarity, ICTJ speaks with Tarik El Tumi, program director for the Libyan NGO Lawyers for Justice, about the capacity of the Libyan judiciary to address the legacies of the Gaddafi dictatorship and the role the ICC can play in facilitating this process. [Download](/sites/default/files/El_Tumi_ICTJ_Podcast_01022012.mp3) | Duration: 8:00mins | File size: 4.6MB

Pablo de Greiff, director of Research at ICTJ, has presented his candidacy for the role of Special Rapporteur for the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence. This new position is being established by the United Nations Human Rights Council to bring greater attention to accountability for serious crimes and human rights violations.

Following a restive year, Indonesia's human rights record is one of the situations under review during the 13th session of the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in May–June 2012.

Yemen’s national unity government last week adopted a draft law giving President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution as part of a deal brokered by Gulf states and other international sponsors. Human rights activists in Yemen and elsewhere have vehemently rejected the law as an affront to justice. [Download](/sites/default/files/Seils_ICTJ_Podcast_01092012_2.mp3) | Duration: 12:00mins | File size: 8.37MB

Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat’s recent attempt to return to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC)—pending resolution of serious allegations implicating him in acts connected to human rights violations and corruption—threatens the viability and credibility of the TJRC process, ICTJ said.

December 16, 2011 saw the world’s first ruling mandating reparations be paid for the unlawful recruitment of minors into armed forces. More than 300 former youth paramilitaries in Colombia will receive reparations including monetary compensation and medical and psychological care.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the formal end to Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. Binta Mansaray, registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, discusses how having the court's proceedings based nationally enabled the inclusion of victims in the justice process and facilitated national capacity building. [Download](/sites/default/files/Mansaray_ICTJ_Podcast_01172012_2.mp3) | Duration: 11:00mins | File size: 6.36MB

The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirming charges of crimes against humanity against William Ruto, Joshua Sang, Francis Muthaura, and Uhuru Kenyatta, and declining to confirm charges against Henry Kosgey and Mohammed Ali is a reminder that the vast majority of victims have still not seen justice done, the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) said.

On Thursday, January 26, retired Guatemalan general Efraín Ríos Montt will stand before a judge in a Guatemalan court to hear the charges brought against him for genocide and crimes against humanity. ICTJ commends Guatemala for taking these important first steps to bring justice to bear after decades of impunity.

In this podcast Messeh Kamara discusses how to incorporate the perspectives and needs of children into post-conflict truth and justice measures from the perspective of a someone whose childhood was interrupted by the Sierra Leone civil war. [Download](/sites/default/files/Kamara_ICTJ_Podcast_01262012.mp3) | Duration: 12:02mins | File size: 6.88MB

Last week's decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague confirming four Kenyans must answer to charges of crimes against humanity does not excuse their government from responsibility to pursue justice at home, writes ICTJ vice president Paul Seils.

A Haitian court’s decision to drop charges of crimes against humanity against former president Jean-Claude Duvalier is a blow to the victims of his brutal dictatorship and sends a disturbing signal that the country cannot fulfill its basic legal obligations, ICTJ said today.

The last few decades have seen a revolution in the global struggle against impunity, but the decision to put General Efraín Ríos Montt on trial for crimes against humanity and genocide in Guatemala ranks among the most astonishing developments. Belatedly, but valiantly, a new breed of prosecutors, led by Attorney General Claudia Paz, have finally allowed his victims' pleas for justice to be heard.

The War Crimes Chamber of Bosnia’s State Court is one of the most successful undertakings to address the legacy of mass atrocities in national courts. As this important institution finds itself under serious threat, the European Union must act quickly to put a stop to attempts of the Bosnian Serb political leadership to undermine Bosnia’s capacity to prosecute war crimes at state level.

As part of an ongoing podcast series on complementarity, ICTJ speaks with Ambassador Thomas Winkler of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the role of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court in supporting the capacity of national court systems to address international crimes. [Download](/sites/default/files/Winkler_ICTJ_Podcast_02062012.mp3) | Duration: 9:01mins | File size: 5.15MB

The civil war in El Salvador officially ended 20 years ago, yet justice and accountability for past violations remain acutely absent. To launch a Spanish language podcast series focusing on Latin America ICTJ spoke with Carlos Dada, editor of the digital newspaper El Faro , about the critical role the media has played in uncovering the truth about past atrocities in El Salvador.

Uganda's first trial for war crimes committed by the brutal Lord's Resistance Army rebel movement is currently underway. To further ICTJ’s special podcast series on complementarity, we sat down with Justice Dan Akiiki Kiiza, head of Uganda's International Crimes Division, to discuss the progress and challenges of complementarity in the country. [Download](/sites/default/files/Akiiki_Kiiza_ICTJ_Podcast_02192012.mp3) | Duration: 09:44mins | File size: 5.57MB

Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its interim report and a new historical publication titled They Came for the Children in Vancouver today. The TRC was established in 2008 to examine and make public the truth about Canada’s former Indian Residential Schools, a system designed to forcibly assimilate aboriginal children. From 1874 to 1996 more than 150,000 children were taken from their families and placed in church-run schools. They were prohibited from speaking their native languages and practicing cultural traditions, and physical, sexual, and emotional violence was commonplace.

A two-day roundtable discussion on a draft law on the missing and forcibly disappeared persons was held February 24–25 in Beirut, Lebanon. Organized by the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon, Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile (SOLIDE), Act for the Disappeared, and ICTJ, the roundtable was part of the project “Lebanon’s unaddressed legacy: the missing and the families’ right to know,” funded by the European Union (EU) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon.

Five years since the end of Nepal's brutal civil war, victims are losing patience waiting for truth, justice, and reparation. Last year ICTJ completed a six month research project to analyze the effects of the the government's Interim Relief Program and determine the steps still required for Nepal to fulfill its obligation to provide reparations to victims. The findings have been published in a report titled “ From Relief to Reparations: Listening to the Voices of Victims .”