186 results

African Union Must Act to Address Impunity for International Crimes

In a major effort to promote accountability for serious crimes in Africa, ICTJ joined hundreds of human rights groups and transitional justice partners to ask the African Union to prioritize justice. Addressed to the new African Union (AU) Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the letter warns that strained relationships between the AU and the International Criminal Court (ICC) may put justice at risk.

01/18/13
In Focus

ICTJ and Other Organizations Call Upon Uganda to Arrest ICC Fugitive Bashir As He Attends Inauguration

Human Rights Network-Uganda (HURINET-U), The Uganda Coalition on the International Criminal Court (UCICC), The International Center for Transitional Justice, Avocats San Frontiers and Atrocities Watch are dismayed to learn that Government of Uganda has extended an invitation to President Omar al...

05/12/16
Press Releases

ICTJ Partners Victims, Civil Society and Officials on Transitional Justice in Great Lakes Region

Civil society leaders, members of victims' groups and state officials throughout the Great Lakes region will convene in Kampala, Uganda next week at a conference hosted by ICTJ. Attendees will share their experiences working for redress in their communities and discuss what strategies have proven effective at the local level.

05/12/16
In Focus

ICTJ Conference Explores Efforts at Redress, Accountability and Reform in African Great Lakes Region

Today, ICTJ opened a two-day conference in Kampala, Uganda, gathering activists and officials from the African Great Lakes Region to discuss efforts at redress and accountability for serious human rights violations committed in their countries.

05/17/16
Press Releases

Survivors Speak: Book Launch and Workshop on Women and Girls in Conflict

Evelyn Amony tells the harrowing story of her years in captivity with the LRA, and experience of grinding poverty and stigma after returning home with two children, in her new memoir, I Am Evelyn Amony: Reclaiming my Life from the Lord's Resistance Army . The autobiography, which tells the difficult truths of women and girls in wartime as only a firsthand witness can, will be launched today in New York, at the Japan Society.

06/15/16
Press Releases

Unpacking the Nuances of Complementarity

The struggle against impunity remains as important –and precarious –as ever as we celebrate International Justice Day on July 17. ICTJ marks the occasion with a look at complementarity, a concept critical to understanding the role that the ICC and national courts play in this struggle.

07/12/16
In Focus

South Africa's Obligations to the ICC Persist

South African authorities apparently believe that once the country has officially withdrawn from the ICC, it will be free to invite the likes of Sudanese President al-Bashir to the country. That's not so, writes ICTJ's Howard Varney, who explains why the country's obligations would continue beyond its departure from the court.

12/12/16
In Focus

AU Strategy for Collective Withdrawal from the ICC a Non-Starter

The Africa Union's resolution to collectively support a strategy to withdraw from the ICC looks more like a machination of those who have instrumentalized an argument against the court to protect themselves from the long arm of justice, write ICTJ's top experts on Africa.

02/16/17
In Focus

Victims Fighting Impunity Transitional Justice in the African Great Lakes Region

In many countries of the African Great Lakes region, state-led approaches to transitional justice have been created by wide-ranging agreements or policies that have been later forgotten or only partially implemented. Even when implemented, they are often subject to years of delay and/...

by

Aileen Thomson and Kasande Sarah Kihika

Report

Activists: Strong Civil Society is Key to Hopes of Stability in Africa’s Great Lakes

A new ICTJ report argues that in Africa's interconnected Great Lakes region, each country’s attempt to provide justice for past violations offers lessons for similar processes in others. We gathered civil society activists from across the region to discuss which strategies have worked for them, which have not, and opened up about the greatest challenges they face in securing justice.

03/29/17
In Focus

The Bumpy Road to Peace and Accountability: Transitional Justice in the African Great Lakes Region

In Africa's Great Lakes region, countries face common challenges like bad governance, inequitable distribution of natural resources, and ethnic divisions. As nations like Burundi, Central African Republic and South Sudan work towards peacebuilding and accountability, they should learn from what has worked and what has not in neighboring countries, writes Sarah Kihika Kasande, ICTJ's Head of Office in Uganda.

04/24/17
In Focus

A Historic Opportunity for Peace, Democracy, and Justice in Sudan

After decades of repressive rules, military coups, and conflicts in the country’s marginalized peripheries, the Sudanese people have come together and proven their resolve to break with the past and begin a new chapter of their nation’s history. Undeterred by a brutal crackdown, thousands of...

08/30/19

by

Fernando Travesí

World Report

Special Report on COVID-19: Keeping Justice in Sight

Sparing almost no corner of the world from its wrath, the COVID-19 pandemic has now spread to every country. In an effort to slow the contagion, governments in most countries have been taking drastic measures requiring all residents other than essential workers to confine themselves in their homes, and shutting down vast sectors of their economies. The impact has been crushing. COVID-19 has profoundly affected every country where ICTJ currently works: Armenia, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Uganda. We recently caught up with ICTJ’s heads of country programs to learn more about the impact the pandemic is having on transitional justice and society more broadly.

05/19/20
In Focus

Transitions January 2011: Sudan: A Perilous Road Ahead

Transitions focuses on Sudan's referendum on whether the south will be independent. Suliman Baldo, ICTJ Africa Program Director, talks about the referendum and prospects for peace in Sudan.

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ICTJ

Newsletter

Sudan: Impact of the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court

Few conflicts have garnered as much attention as the recent one in Darfur. Widespread atrocities reported by several organizations including an International Commission of Investigation compelled the United Nations (UN) Security Council to refer the situation in the western region of ...

by

ICTJ; Suliman Baldo

Briefing Paper

Reparation and the Darfur Peace Process: Ensuring Victims' Rights

This paper focuses on the issue of reparations in Darfur. It particularly emphasizes victims' right to reparation for the harm done to them, and aims to ensure that this right is recognized and upheld in any peace process. Drawing on experiences from other regions, it reviews and addr...

by

ICTJ; Suliman Baldo, Lisa Magarrell

Report

Optimistic and Apprehensive in South Sudan: Interview with Suliman Baldo

“People are very optimistic,” Suliman Baldo, ICTJ's Africa Director, says in an interview during his current visit this week to Juba, South Sudan. “At the same time, people are apprehensive because there are many serious issues, and sensitive ones, which have not been addressed, that were supposed to be addressed prior to the referendum.” [Download](/sites/default/files/ICTJ-Sudan-Referendum-Baldo-Podcast-03-03-2011.mp3) | Duration: 7mins | File size: 4MB

03/03/11
Podcasts

Fears Swept Away by the Wind

There is no way to calm the pain left by war, much less erase the traces or water down the responsibilities into oblivion.  What does exist are the experiences of people who are making or made that transition in search of reconciliation.  These are some of their voices.

05/15/24
Videos

Restorative Justice Conversations in Colombia

ICTJ sat down with three prominent experts on restorative justice, to learn more about their experiences, restorative justice, and its role in transitional justice and Colombia.

05/15/24
Videos

The Case for Justice

Why pursue transitional justice in the aftermath of massive human rights violations? This video provides a window into the debate about the relevance of transitional justice in today’s world.

05/13/24
Videos

The Role of Transitional Justice in Peace Processes: A Conversation with Former President Juan Manuel Santos

On February 26, 2020, the International Center for Transitional Justice and NYU Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice welcomed former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Juan Manuel Santos for a conversation on the role of transitional justice in peace negoti...

05/15/24
Videos

Truth, Memory, and Resistance: ICTJ Cohosts Third International Hip Hop Festival

The ICTJ office in Colombia joined forces with the Movement of Latin American Expressions of Hip Hop (MELAH) and the online cultural outlet Revista Cartel Urbano to host the hybrid virtual and live International Hip Hop Encounter in Bogotá, Colombia.

05/15/24
Videos

Truths We Need to Know

Perspectives of Colombians particularly affected by the country's conflict – women, young people, and indigenous peoples – who are demanding truth.

05/16/24
Videos

Voices of Dignity

The story of two courageous women from Colombia, and their struggle for acknowledgement and redress in a country where more than four million people have been affected by decades of civil war.

05/15/24
Videos

Victims: Anonymous in War, Protagonists in Peace

"Victims: Anonymous in War, Protagonists in Peace" is the story of an unprecedented event in world peace accords: that the victims were - during the negotiations - at the center of the construction of the justice agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerilla.

05/14/24
Videos

In Colombia, Victims and Ex-Combatants See Each Other's Humanity

On June 21-23, 2022, Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction of Peace (la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, or JEP) held its first acknowledgment hearing on the taking hostages, serious deprivation of liberty, and other concurrent crimes (known as Case 01) at the Virgilio Barco Library auditor...

05/16/24
Photos

Ensuring the Role of Victims and Families in Search Processes for the Missing and Disappeared in Syria

This is an audio recording of a live event.

05/15/24

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Through a New Lens: A Child-Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice

“Through a New Lens: A Child-Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice” analyzes experiences of four countries—Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Colombia and Nepal—and identifies some key lessons on children’s participation in transitional justice measures. Authored by Céc...

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ICTJ; Cécile Aptel; Virginie Ladisch

Report

Through a New Lens: A Child Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice

As of 2010, over 1 billion children worldwide were living in territories affected by armed conflict, over one-quarter of them under the age of five. This means the “average” civilian victim—a person killed, injured, or forced to flee his or her home—is likely to be a child or youth. ICTJ’s pioneering report “ Through a New Lens: A Child-Sensitive Approach to Transitional Justice ” analyzes experiences of four countries—Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Colombia and Nepal—and identifies some key lessons on children’s participation in transitional justice measures. [Download](/sites/default/files/Ladisch_ICTJ_Podcast_31092011.mp3) | Duration: 7mins | File size: 4.2MB

09/01/11
Podcasts

ICTJ Presents: PBS Series “Women, War & Peace” – War Redefined

On October 11, PBS will launch the five-part series "Women, War & Peace," focusing the dialogue about conflict and security on the roles women play both as targets of violence and key partners in the peace process. ICTJ sat down with two of the three producers, Pamela Hogan and Gini Reticker, to discuss insights from the upcoming series. [Download](/sites/default/files/Hogan_and_Reticker_ICTJ_Podcast_10052011.mp3) | Duration: 14:38mins | File size: 8.75MB

10/06/11
Podcasts

Transcript: Tina Rosenberg speaks on violence in Latin America

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Children of Cain, the first book by writer and journalist Tina Rosenberg. ICTJ spoke with Rosenberg about how political violence has evolved in Latin America over the past 20 years, and the continuing need for accountability for past atrocities.

11/22/11
In Focus

Tina Rosenberg speaks of violence in Latin America, 20 years later

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Children of Cain , the first book by writer and journalist Tina Rosenberg. ICTJ spoke with Rosenberg about how political violence has evolved in Latin America over the past 20 years, and the continuing need for accountability for past atrocities.

11/22/11
In Focus

Memory: Public Policy for Transformation in Colombia

ICTJ and the Center for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation of Colombia are organizing an event on Memory: Public Policy for Transformation. Dialogue at the conference will serve as the basis for providing recommendations to the process of creating the Center for Historical Memory and designing public memory policy in the country.

11/23/11
In Focus

Impunity Must be Fought at the National Level: Podcast with David Tolbert

If the international community is seriously committed to fighting impunity for mass atrocity, national courts in the countries where such crimes have been committed must be at the frontline. International development actors are crucial to making this possible. [Download](/sites/default/files/Tolbert_ICTJ_Podcast_11302011_2.mp3) | Duration: 12:33mins | File size: 7KB

12/05/11
Podcasts

Colombia's Landmark Ruling Orders Reparations for Former Child Soldiers

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.

01/17/12
In Focus

Memory Reconstructs Society and Reestablishes Rights

In a simple house made of wood and straw and smelling of earth, women, girls, and the occasional man narrate, sometimes laughing and other times crying, the stories of how their life used to be before being forcibly displaced to San Juan Nepomuceno. This is one of the many local memory initiatives taking place throughout Colombia today.

03/13/12
In Focus

Colombia Commemorates its First National Victims’ Day

Colombia marked the country’s first National Day of Memory and Solidarity with the Victims April 9. For the millions who have suffered human rights violations in Colombia’s entrenched armed conflict, this was a day for their voices to be heard and their suffering to be acknowledged by the state; a nationwide call for accountability and reconciliation in a highly divided society.

04/10/12
In Focus

Photo Gallery: Colombia's National Victims' Day

On April 9, Colombia commemorated for the first time the National Day of the Memory and Solidarity with the Victims. This photo gallery collects the expressions of commemoration that took place in three cities in the country: Bogotá, Medellín and Villavicencio.

04/13/12
In Focus

Indigenous Rights and Transitional Justice: Two Side Events to the UN Permanent Forum

In seeking to establish accountability for past atrocity, many transitional justice mandates have also sought to redress crimes against indigenous populations. To further explore this relationship, ICTJ and our partners in Canada and Colombia are holding two side events to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

05/07/12
In Focus

Feature Series: Colombia’s Justice and Peace Process

Colombia’s Justice and Peace Law (JPL) lies at the heart of the country’s efforts to dismantle notorious paramilitary groups and provide justice to thousands of their victims. As the government seeks to reform the JPL to allow for a more effective process, ICTJ will run a series of features to provide a deeper insight into the background and successes and challenges of the law.

05/08/12
In Focus

Justice and Peace Process Should Lead to the Most Responsible

Colombia continues to endure a complex conflict spanning more than four decades that has resulted in almost 400,000 registered victims and has displaced more than three million people. In a podcast with ICTJ’s vice president Paul Seils, we explore the concepts of prioritization and selection of cases and their relevance to Colombia's Justice and Peace process.

05/09/12
In Focus

Justice and Peace: Progress and Great Challenges

It has been nearly seven years since the passage of the Justice and Peace Law (JPL) in Colombia. The process continues today amidst controversies and important reflections on the direction it should take. What progress has been made and what are the shortcomings of how the law has been implemented?

05/10/12
In Focus

Reforming the Justice and Peace Law: A Forum for Debate

With the goal of creating an opportunity for debate between civil society and the Colombian government on JPL reform, ICTJ and the Mission to Support the Peace Process from the Organization of American States have organized an event titled “Challenges and Opportunities of the Justice and Peace Law Reform,” to take place May 14 in Bogotá.

05/11/12
In Focus

In Renewed Effort to End Hostilities, Colombia Adopts New Transitional Justice Tools

After several months of intense political debate, Colombia’s Senate passed constitutional reform measures containing extensive transitional justice provisions. The Legal Framework for Peace was adopted to confront decades of massive human rights violations and help to bring a sustainable peace to Colombia’s ongoing internal armed conflict.

07/11/12
In Focus

The Case for Justice

Why pursue transitional justice in the aftermath of massive human rights violations? “The Case for Justice” provides a window into the debate about the relevance of transitional justice in today’s world.

07/16/12
In Focus

“No Accountability, No Dignity:” Colombia Celebrates International Justice Day

As Colombia marked International Justice Day, the importance of accountability for violations committed during the decades of conflict was underscored in the number of victims awaiting justice—376,000 registered in the Attorney General’s Office, more than 4 million in total. And while July 17 is celebrated as the date of adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, it is clear that in countries like Colombia accountability extends beyond criminal trials.

07/19/12
In Focus

Images for Truth and Memory: ICTJ Announces Photography Contest in Colombia

To encourage public engagement in truth-telling and memorialization in Colombia, ICTJ and the Center for Historic Memory (Centro de Memoria Histórica) are pleased to announce a photography contest for non-professionals.

07/25/12
In Focus

Criminal Justice and Forced Displacement in Colombia

The crime of forced displacement has been a widespread practice in Colombia’s internal armed conflict for several decades. However, forced displacement cannot be reduced to an inherent or unintended effect of the conflict. The armed actors in the Colombian armed conflict—the army an...

by

Federico Andreu-Guzmán

Research Case Study

Forced Displacement and Gender Justice in Colombia: Between Disproportional Effects of Violence and Historical Injustice

This paper examines the relationship between forced displacement and transitional justice in Colombia from a gender perspective. The text focuses on three main themes: first, the gendered impacts of forced displacement; second, the ways that official policy, as it has evolved from pr...

by

Donny Meertens

Research Case Study

Truth-Telling and Internal Displacement in Colombia

An internal armed conflict involving the government, leftist guerrillas, and a variety of paramilitary groups and criminal bands has endured in Colombia for the last 60 years, generating massive levels of displacement. A comprehensive truth commission that investigates major human ri...

by

Roberto Vidal-López

Research Case Study