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Resource Library

The Resource Library stores all of ICTJ’s published works since 2001 to the present, grouped by category and searchable by key word, country, issue, language, and more.

We are continually adding new content from our archives, especially our Multimedia content. Check back regularly to explore newly added videos, photo galleries, and audio products.

Challenging the Conventional: Can Truth Commissions Strengthen Peace Processes?

This joint report by ICTJ and the Kofi Annan Foundation explores common assumptions about why truth commissions are created in the wake of armed conflict and what factors make them more likely to succeed – or fail. It arises from a high-level symposium hosted by the two organizations ...

06/16/14

Confronting Impunity and Engendering Transitional Justice Processes in Uganda

This briefing paper summarizes the findings of consultations undertaken by ICTJ with women’s groups in Gulu, Lira, and Soroti on confronting impunity and engendering transitional justice processes in northern Uganda. Its purpose is to help incorporate women’s needs and justice demands...

06/01/14

20 Years On, ANC Rules but Legacy of Apartheid Still Lingers

In early May, the African National Congress (ANC) held on to power in South Africa’s general election. However, there is a widespread feeling that the party that oversaw the creation of the groundbreaking Truth and Reconciliation Commission has walked away from its obligations to the South African people.

05/28/14

ICTJ to Take Part in Eighth Al Jazeera Forum: “Change in the Arab World: Where To?”

ICTJ President David Tolbert will be a featured speaker at this year’s Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera Forum is the flagship event of Al Jazeera Media Network, at which Al Jazeera showcases its contribution to the world of media and politics.

05/21/14

Let the Victims Speak: A Voice from Peru on the Commissions on Truth and Disappearances

Seven and a half years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Nepal's Parliament voted to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a Commission of Investigation on Disappeared Persons. In this op-ed, ICTJ's Eduardo González Cueva explains why many victims have rejected the bill.

05/21/14

Kenya TJRC Final Report Deserves Serious Analysis and Action

One year after its release, ICTJ presents a critical overview of the Final Report of Kenya’s Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in a new study released today. The ICTJ study argues that, despite the controversies that surrounded the commission during its tenure, the Final Report should be read and treated with seriousness by those who support human rights and the rule of law in Kenya.

05/19/14

Lessons to Be Learned: An Analysis of the Final Report of Kenya’s Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission

This paper analyzes the contents of the Final Report that the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) presented to President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 21, 2013, after four years of investigations. In particular, it evaluates the report’s information and findings, the lo...

05/19/14

by

Christopher Gitari Ndungú

DRC: Refusal to Pardon Serious Crimes Signals Justice Could be On the Way

A new amnesty law passed by the government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will grant amnesty to hundreds of members of armed groups engaged in hostilities, including members of the infamous M23 rebels, but stops short of pardoning serious crimes.

05/15/14

Up for Debate: The Role of Media in Transitional Justice

ICTJ is pleased to announce it will host a series of online debates on new challenges and cutting-edge issues in transitional justice.

04/30/14

"My Healing Has Begun": Uganda Votes to Provide Gender-Sensitive Reparations Fund

More than six years after the war in Uganda came to a formal end, the country has taken a landmark first step by unanimously adopting a resolution to establish a reparations fund informed by the experiences of both men and women.

04/23/14

ICTJ Urges Nepal to Amend Flawed Bill on Truth Seeking

As Nepal’s Parliament discussed key proposal to establish truth-seeking bodies, the ICTJ expresses deep concern that the bill retains flaws already rejected by the country’s Supreme Court in January.

04/21/14

Transitional Justice and Women’s Rights: Four Countries to Watch This Year

To mark International Women’s Day, we invite you to read about four countries at the top of our gender justice priorities in the coming year, each with its own history, context, and complex sets of challenges.

03/05/14

ICTJ and Center for Global Affairs to Host Conversation on Africa and the International Criminal Court

Join ICTJ and the Center for Global Affairs for a conversation on how the ICC and the African Union can move forward, and what the AU position means for effective prosecutions within Africa and elsewhere.

02/24/14

In Cote d’Ivoire, Civil Society Leads Effort to Realize Reparative Justice

Nearly three years after violence in Cote d’Ivoire claimed the lives of over three thousand civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands, victims have yet to receive adequate reparation for the harm they suffered. ICTJ convened victims’ organizations, civil society, government officers and others to assess how the country should move forward to ensure victims see their right to reparation fulfilled.

02/03/14

Transitional Justice, Culture, and Society: Beyond Outreach

Transitional justice processes have a fundamental public dimension: their impact depends in part on the social support they receive. Beyond outreach programs, other initiatives, such as media and cultural interventions, can strengthen—or in some cases undermine—the public resonance of...

01/13/14

by

Clara Ramírez-Barat

ICTJ Mourns the Passing of Nelson Mandela, a Luminary in the Struggle for Justice

ICTJ mourns the passing today of Nelson Mandela, a luminary in the struggle for equal rights in South Africa and around the world. “Nelson Mandela’s courage in the face of oppression, his steadfast commitment to his principles and his magnanimous leadership during a difficult period of transition have long been an inspiration to me personally as well as to millions around the world. As we mourn our loss today, we celebrate a life of true greatness, dedicated to justice, without rancor or bitterness,” said David Tolbert, president of ICTJ.

12/06/13

ICTJ Forum Series: Truth Commissions and Peace Mediation

Can truth commissions help secure a just peace following a violent conflict in which massive human rights abuses are committed? In this special series of the ICTJ Forum, we present a series of conversations with some of the world’s top peace mediators and truth commission experts, whose collective experience include years on the front lines of critical peace agreements in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

11/22/13

To Build Peace, Seek Truth About the Past

Dating back to the 1980s, when peace settlements were made across Latin America, truth commissions have become an important component of peace negotiations. In this opinion piece, ICTJ President David Tolbert calls for societies to give truth commissions a chance of fulfilling their potential by learning from their failures and success.

11/20/13

In Reintegration Programs, Seeing Former Child Soldiers as More Than Just Victims

In this op-ed marking Universal Children’s Day, ICTJ's Virginie Ladisch explains why within transitional justice, the capacity to make positive choices and demonstrate moral agency are attributes that need to be encouraged and fostered in children, especially former child soldiers.

11/19/13

Nepal: Rethinking Transitional Justice Post Elections

In this opinion piece, Lucia Withers argues that Nepal's elected parties and their representatives should not limit their discussions to the establishment of a truth commission or whether it will provide for amnesties and/or prosecutions. Rather, they should focus on designing policies that are more comprehensive and that would better serve the rights and needs of conflict victims and contribute to broader peace-building efforts.

11/18/13

Experts Discuss Truth Commissions Emerging from Peace Agreements at Symposium Organized by ICTJ and the Kofi Annan Foundation

More truth commissions are being created now through peace agreements than at any other time in history. But are they living up to high expectations for truth, accountability, and reconciliation in societies emerging from violent conflicts? This week, the Kofi Annan Foundation and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) held a three-day, high-level symposium to explore the challenges and benefits of truth commissions emerging from peace processes.

11/15/13

Thomas Buergenthal to Speak at This Year’s Emilio Mignone Lecture on Transitional Justice

ICTJ and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law are pleased to announce that Judge Thomas Buergenthal will be the speaker of the 7th Annual Emilio Mignone Lecture on Transitional Justice. Buergenthal is one of the world’s most distinguished jurists, whose name is synonymous with human rights and international justice. The lecture will be held on Thursday, December 12, from 6:00 to 7:30pm, in New York City.

11/01/13

ICTJ to Kenya’s High Court: Uphold Victims’ Rights to Truth, Justice

In a legal brief submitted yesterday to Kenya’s High Court, the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) warns that striking down parts of the final report of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Kenya (TJRC) would amount to censorship and obstruct the right of victims to an effective remedy for past violations.

10/03/13

Taylor’s Judgment Will Impact the Course of International Justice

The significance of Charles Taylor’s judgment rendered few days ago in The Hague goes far beyond Taylor himself, or even the Special Court for Sierra Leone. This decision will be an unavoidable legal precedent in any future deliberation of the role played by leaders and states in crimes committed by forces they support in other countries, writes ICTJ's president David Tolbert in this op-ed.

10/02/13

Charles Taylor Judgment a Milestone in the Struggle Against Impunity for Leaders

ICTJ welcomes the decision by the Special Court for Sierra Leone to uphold the guilty verdict against former Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court dismissed challenges from Taylor’s defense, and the prosecution’s request for the sentence to be increased to 80 years, and affirmed his 50-year sentence with immediate effect.

09/26/13

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

Enforced Disappearances: Justice for the Disappeared Has a Woman’s Face

Enforced disappearances are among the cruelest of crimes. To the kidnapping, torture, and in many cases, murder of the victim, perpetrators intentionally create fear and uncertainty about the fate of the missing person. Although men are predominantly targeted, the impact on women is severe and lasting.

08/30/13

Nepal’s Wives of Disappeared Face Continued Legal, Financial Struggles, Says New ICTJ Report

In a briefing paper released on the eve of the International Day of the Disappeared, ICTJ documents the experience of the wives of the disappeared in Nepal and calls for measures to address the poverty, social stigma, and legal limbo they continue to face in their day-to-day lives.

08/29/13

Beyond Relief: Addressing the Rights and Needs of Nepal’s Wives of the Disappeared

Based on the findings of over 450 interviews, this briefing paper looks at the socioeconomic impact of enforced disappearances on the wives of the disappeared in Nepal. More than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for after Nepal’s 10-year conflict ended in 2006. The majority were young ...

08/28/13

by

ICTJ

Living with the Shadows of the Disappeared

In the brutality of armed conflict or tyranny of a repressive regime, many who go missing are never found again: whether “disappeared” by agents of the state or abducted by an armed faction, the whereabouts of thousands are still unknown to this day. On this International Day of the Disappeared, ICTJ recognizes that enforced disappearances constitute crimes against humanity, and they affect women in ways unique from the impact on men.

08/22/13

ICTJ Program Report: Children and Youth

Children and youth are especially vulnerable to the effects of conflict and gross human rights violations. In this edition of the ICTJ Program Report, ICTJ's Children and Youth Program Director Virginie Ladisch talks with us about the importance of integrating child and youth sensitivity into transitional justice mechanisms.

08/09/13

Victims in Cote d’Ivoire Meet on Right to Reparation

In Cote d’Ivoire, victims of the 2010-11 post-election violence have yet to receive reparations for violations that occurred during the political upheaval following the election of President Ouattara. Victims’ organizations in Cote d’Ivoire joined ICTJ and the ONUCI Human Rights Section for a three-day training session in Abidjan on reparative justice and the right to reparation.

08/08/13

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

Sierra Leoneans Reflect on SCSL in 'Seeds of Justice'

On International Justice Day, July 17th, ICTJ looks at the legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone through the voices of those to whom its work was most important: the citizens of Sierra Leone. Our new multimedia project, “Seeds of Justice: Sierra Leone,” presents five portraits of Sierra Leoneans whose lives were impacted by this court.

07/11/13

Supporting National Prosecutions in Cote d'Ivoire

Cote d’Ivoire has embarked on a process of addressing the legacy of internal strife that culminated in the post-election violence of 2010. On June 12, 2013, ICTJ will co-host high-level talks on strengthening Cote d’Ivoire’s judicial capacity to prosecute serious crimes proscribed by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

06/11/13

ICTJ Program Report: Myanmar

In the latest ICTJ program report, we speak with Patrick Pierce, head of ICTJ’s Myanmar program, who analyzes the state of transitional justice in the country. Pierce provides a look into the kind of technical assistance ICTJ is providing to civil society groups in Myanmar working to strengthen democratic institutions and increase confidence in the peace process.

06/11/13

Integrity of Kenya’s Truth Commission Report Must Be Restored

In a new op-ed, ICTJ Vice President Paul Seils argues that Kenya’s Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) should have been the shining light that led the way in restoring trust and confidence in office holders, institutions and government. Instead, its final report is mired in pointless controversy. Now, Kenya has a key opportunity to address allegations that the president's office interfered with the report's findings.

06/10/13

ICTJ Welcomes Kenya's TJRC Report

The International Center for Transitional Justice ICTJ welcomes the release of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) Report, which is the result of an official truth-seeking process undertaken by Kenya following the 2007/2008 post-election violence. The report shares the TJRC’s findings on gross violations of human rights, economic crimes, illegal acquisition of public land, marginalization of communities, and ethnic violence between 1963 and 2008.

05/24/13

ICTJ Program Report: Reparative Justice

Reparations seek to recognize and address the harms suffered by victims of systematic human rights violations. ICTJ’s Reparative Justice program provides knowledge and comparative experience on reparations to victims' groups, civil society and policymakers worldwide. In this edition of the ICTJ Program Report, we look at ICTJ's work on reparations in dynamic transitional contexts such as Nepal, Colombia, Peru, DRC, and Uganda.

05/13/13

Closing Kenya’s Impunity Gap: Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Trying Serious Crimes in Kenya’s Courts

ICTJ released a briefing paper today examining current opportunities for prosecuting serious crimes within Kenya’s national judicial system, including crimes committed during the postelection violence of late 2007 and early 2008 (PEV), which claimed 1,113 lives and displaced an estimated 660,000 people. Titled “Prosecuting International and Other Serious Crimes in Kenya,” the paper looks at legal and institutional reforms that may be needed at the national level to effectively investigate and prosecute the worst crimes of the PEV period, including murder, serious assault, and rape.

04/30/13

Prosecuting International and Other Serious Crimes in Kenya

This briefing paper focuses on the topic of prosecuting international and other serious crimes in Kenya, including crimes committed in the context of the postelection crisis of late 2007 and early 2008. In particular, it identifies and analyzes obstacles and opportunities for such pro...

04/30/13

by

ICTJ

Soft Vengeance: An Interview with South Africa’s Albie Sachs

South African judge and human rights activist Albie Sachs is among the foremost transitional justice experts to have emerged from the anti-apartheid struggle and subsequent transition. In this interview with ICTJ Vice President Paul Seils, Sachs discusses the difficult balance of retribution and reconciliation, and offers possible lessons from the South African experience for other societies facing similar questions of truth and justice.

04/22/13

Can International Justice Foster Reconciliation?

On April 10, the UN General Assembly is holding a thematic debate on the role of international justice in reconciliation processes. The debate was called by UN GA President Vuk Jeremic, of Serbia, in the wake of the recent acquittal of Croatian General Ante Gotovina by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, it has become clear that the real purpose of this debate is directed at undermining the ICTY, rather than to discuss an important issue, not only in the Balkans, but in a growing number of countries.

04/10/13

Pressure on Congolese Authorities Key to Ending Impunity for Sexual Violence in the DR Congo

In this opinion piece, ICTJ's Sharanjeet Parmar asks: why do international efforts to tackle impunity for sexual violence in the DRC continue to miss the mark? High-level diplomatic visits are important in underscoring the responses needed for sexual violence survivors. However, without a strong political commitment from top Congolese authorities to address rampant impunity for sexual violence, no amount of attention or media coverage will reduce the violence or put an end to the cycles of suffering.

03/27/13

Building Democracies on a Foundation of Truth

This opinion piece by Eduardo González, director of the Truth and Memory program at ICTJ, asks: can you build a solid, legitimate democracy on the sands of silence, or does truth provide a more trustful foundation?

03/26/13

Why Seek the Truth About the Past? A Global Conversation

In our work providing assistance to societies around the world, we draw continual inspiration from individuals and communities who refuse to ignore the abuses of the past, and who often face great obstacles to expose it. To honor their courage, we invite you to read a selection of perspectives on truth and dignity from those who have used their words to convey a powerful idea: truth is the foundation of justice.

03/22/13

Truth is the Foundation of Justice: ICTJ Launches Global Campaign for International Day for the Right to the Truth

This year, ICTJ's campaign for the International Day for the Right to the Truth centers around the theme, “Truth is the Foundation of Justice.” This notion, fundamental to the idea of a comprehensive approach to justice, is explored through several new releases from ICTJ.

03/22/13

ICTJ: Right to the Truth Day Reminds Us ‘Truth Is the Foundation of Justice’

March 21, 2013, New York, NY- The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) is launching a global awareness campaign for the International Day for the Right to the Truth, March 24, to affirm the right of victims to know the truth about human rights violations. Under the slogan, “Truth is the foundation of justice,” ICTJ’s campaign will highlight the important role that truth commissions can play in societies dealing with a legacy of violence and repression.

03/21/13

Truth Seeking: Elements of Creating an Effective Truth Commission

This publication provides an overview of the essential best practices guiding the main aspects of a truth commission, answering basic questions relating to its goals, powers, operations, framework, protections for commissioners and witnesses, and reporting. Its intention is to provide...

03/18/13

by

ICTJ

ICTJ to Take Part in Seventh Al Jazeera Forum: “Arab World in Transition: Opportunities and Challenges”

ICTJ’s president David Tolbert will be one of the featured speakers at this year’s Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar, which aims to explore the complex transformation of the socio-political and media landscapes of the Middle East and North Africa.

03/12/13

We work side by side with victims to obtain acknowledgment and redress for massive human rights violations, hold those responsible to account, reform and build democratic institutions, and prevent the recurrence of violence or repression.