624 results

In the Philippines, Understanding Victims’ Perceptions of Reparations Forms

To mark the launch of our new publication, "Forms of Justice: A Guide to Designing Reparations Application Forms and Registration Processes for Victims of Human Rights Violations", we sat down with Karl Gaspar to talk about his experience participating in the reparations process as a victim in the Philippines.

12/07/17
In Focus

A Practitioners' Perspective on Forms of Justice in Peru and Colombia

To mark the launch of our new publication, "Forms of Justice: A Guide to Designing Reparations Application Forms and Registration Processes for Victims of Human Rights Violations", we sat down with Jairo Rivas about his work in designing reparations forms in Peru and Colombia.

12/07/17
In Focus

Forms of Justice: A Guide to Designing Reparations Application Forms and Registration Processes for Victims of Human Rights Violations

In a number of countries around the world, governments have created state-administered reparations programs for victims and communities that were most affected by massive human rights violations. The success of these programs, which often involve thousands of individuals, depends in p...

by

Ruben Carranza, Cristián Correa, and Elena Naughton

Report

Emilio Mignone Lecture Asks: How Can the United States Confront Racial Injustice?

Do the concepts and strategies of transitional justice have a role to play in the United States? Our 2017 Emilio Mignone Lecture asked that question, with Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, and Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, joining ICTJ's David Tolbert in conversation. Watch the full discussion here.

11/27/17
In Focus

Can the UN’s New Mission in Haiti Work with Activists to Challenge Impunity?

Last month, the United Nations established a new mission in Haiti, focused on strengthening rule of law institutions and human rights reporting. Can it work with activists to challenge impunity? We sat down with Isabelle Clérié, a Haitian civil society organizer, about the mission, what it can accomplish, and how the past is understood in the country.

11/16/17
In Focus

Strengthening Rule of Law, Accountability, and Acknowledgment in Haiti

Haiti is currently confronting several challenges regarding stability, the rule of law, and corruption. The establishment of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) in April 2017 is aimed at contributing to state and civil society efforts to effectively add...

by

Cristián Correa

Briefing Paper

ICTJ Course Examines the Place for Justice in Peace Negotiations

From Syria to Colombia and beyond, how do societies navigate the pursuit of justice in peace processes? That question animated ICTJ’s annual Intensive Course on Transitional Justice and Peace Processes, which this month gathered 31 participants from nearly 20 countries in Barcelona to discuss the place of justice in negotiations to end conflict. Go behind-the-scenes with our instructors and participants.

11/02/17
In Focus

Darren Walker and Sherrilyn Ifill to talk Racial Justice in the United States 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 that Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, and Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, will join ICTJ President David Tolbert in conversation for the ninth Emilio Mignone Lecture on Transitional Justice.

10/03/17
In Focus

Amid Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar, Where Does Transitional Justice Stand?

During the past month, over 400,000 members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim community have been driven from their homes as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign led by the military. What lies at the root of the current violence, how is it connected to political transition, and does transitional justice have a role to play? ICTJ's Anna Myriam Roccatello answers those questions and more.

09/25/17
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

"This Is Us": White Supremacy in the United States

In the wake of Charlottesville, some took to Twitter to distance the United States from the white supremacist march using #ThisIsNotUs. But this is us, writes Virginie Ladisch, and white Americans have an obligation to educate themselves about the history and persistence of white supremacy in their country.

08/22/17

by

Virginie Ladisch

In Focus

Is the United States Ready for a Truth-Telling Process?

Fania Davis thinks the time has come for a truth-telling process about racial injustice in the United States, and she is working to make it a reality. We sat down with her and her colleague, Jodie Geddes, to discuss their vision for a national process, what they hope it would achieve, and what they have learned from their conversations with local leaders so far.

08/09/17
In Focus

Divided by Years of Conflict, Sri Lankans Have Yet to See the Promise of Justice Fulfilled

Where does transitional justice stand in Sri Lanka? Kelli Muddell, Director of ICTJ's Gender Justice Program, explores the country's contested historical narratives.

07/24/17

by

Kelli Muddell

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

What Role Can Transitional Justice Play in Confronting Racial Injustice in the United States?

As grassroots efforts to confront the legacy of racial injustice in the United States take hold from New Orleans to Maine and beyond, how can transitional justice experiences around the world inform their work? That was a major focus of a recent conference ICTJ co-convened, hosted by Kean University.

07/13/17
In Focus

“Once the Truth is Found”: ICTJ Report Sparks Discussion in Nepal

A new ICTJ report on truth and memory in Nepal sparked discussion – and calls for victim-centered policies – at national and local launch events.

07/06/17
In Focus

After the Rupture: Understanding Transitional Justice and Reconciliation

Is reconciliation a central aim of transitional justice processes? Or does it have different bearings in different settings? A new paper presents possible understandings of the concept of reconciliation as well as its relationship to the field of transitional justice.

06/29/17
In Focus

New ICTJ Paper Explores Role of Reconciliation in Transitional Justice

When armed conflict or atrocities have torn a society apart, it can be difficult for people to regain trust in the government and reconcile with those they see as their enemies or abusers. While the idea of reconciliation has been closely linked to transitional justice, misunderstandings of the term have sometimes led to superficial, even harmful approaches to addressing the past. A new paper from the International Center for Transitional Justice looks at different understandings of reconciliation and its place in transitional justice.

06/29/17
Press Releases

The Place of Reconciliation in Transitional Justice

The term reconciliation has long been associated with the field of transitional justice and is often presumed to be one of its goals. At the same time, reconciliation has been both controversial and vague as a concept, giving rise to different understandings and approaches. This paper...

by

Paul Seils

Briefing Paper

Truth For Its Own Sake

Criminal accountability and the search for truth about abuses committed during Nepal’s armed conflict have become inextricably intertwined, at the expense of victims’ broader rights to truth. But for conflict victims, the truth is more than just a pathway to criminal justice writes ICTJ's Aileen Thomson.

06/27/17
In Focus

Negotiating Peace and Justice: Announcing ICTJ's 2017 Intensive Course on Transitional Justice and Peace Processes

ICTJ is pleased to announce an intensive course on transitional justice and peace processes to be held in Barcelona, Spain on October 9-13. Applications are now open.

06/21/17
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

“Left Behind”: Young Photographers Capture Marginalization in Tunisia

Ongoing economic and social inequality, a legacy of the dictatorship, affects Tunisians across generations, but has particularly pronounced impacts on young people. ICTJ worked with four young photographers to confront the consequences of marginalization and explore its impacts on Tunisian youth. Their four photo galleries comprise the exhibition "Marginalization in Tunisia: Images of an Invisible Repression.”

05/24/17
In Focus

The Hood

Ongoing economic and social inequality, a legacy of the dictatorship, affects Tunisians across generations, but has particularly pronounced impacts on young people. ICTJ worked with four young photographers to confront the consequences of marginalization and explore its impacts on Tunis...

Photos

Anecdoche

Ongoing economic and social inequality, a legacy of the dictatorship, affects Tunisians across generations, but has particularly pronounced impacts on young people. ICTJ worked with four young photographers to confront the consequences of marginalization and explore its impacts on Tunis...

Photos

The Soldier and the Writer

Ongoing economic and social inequality, a legacy of the dictatorship, affects Tunisians across generations, but has particularly pronounced impacts on young people. ICTJ worked with four young photographers to confront the consequences of marginalization and explore its impacts on Tunis...

Victims’ Views on Truth Seeking and Memorials in Nepal Take Center Stage in New Report from ICTJ and Martin Chautari Institute

A new report from the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Martin Chautari Institute highlights the continued need for truth about the human rights abuses committed during the country’s 10-year civil war. The report is aimed at helping those working on truth seeking in Nepal to better understand the gaps that currently exist between victims’ needs and rights, public policy and the current transitional justice process.

05/24/17
Press Releases

New Book from ICTJ Examines How Transitional Justice Must Adapt to Difficult Circumstances in Today’s World

A new book by ICTJ titled Justice Mosaics: How Context Shapes Transitional Justice in Fractured Societies examines the challenges of responding to massive human rights violations in different and difficult circumstances in today's world.

05/16/17
Press Releases

Justice Mosaics: How Context Shapes Transitional Justice in Fractured Societies - Report

This report presents the main findings of a multiyear research project conducted by the International Center for Transitional Justice on the challenges and opportunities of responding to serious and massive human rights violations in different contexts. The project commissioned 21 stu...

by

Roger Duthie

Report

Justice Mosaics: How Context Shapes Transitional Justice in Fractured Societies

What hope is there for justice for victims of atrocities in profoundly fractured societies, where systems of government have broken down and social and political divisions run deep? What is the role of transitional justice in forging peace in countries like Colombia, after decades of ...

by

Roger Duthie and Paul Seils

Book

ICTJ Calls Again for Withdrawal of Flawed “Economic Reconciliation” Draft Law in Tunisia

The International Center for Transitional Justice today repeated the call for the withdrawal of the revamped “Economic Reconciliation” Draft Law. As one of the key expert organizations that has supported the transitional process in Tunisia since its inception, ICTJ has opposed the flawed “Economic Reconciliation” Draft Law since it was first presented in 2015, because its provisions undermine key goals of transitional justice: accountability, truth and reform.

05/12/17
Press Releases

Reflections on the Struggle for Justice: Virginie Ladisch and Clara Ramirez-Barat

To mark 15 years of ICTJ, we asked staff past and present for memories that stand out to them - moments that throw the stakes of our work into sharp relief and resonate with them years later. Virginie Ladisch and Clara Ramirez-Barat recall how one Canadian student, in exploring the legacy of the country's Residential Schools, arrived at the concept of "never again."

05/08/17
In Focus

Plus De Poisson Que Du Poison (More Fish, Not Poison)

Ongoing economic and social inequality, a legacy of the dictatorship, affects Tunisians across generations, but has particularly pronounced impacts on young people. ICTJ worked with four young photographers to confront the consequences of marginalization and explore its impacts on Tunis...

Laundering the Corrupt Is a National Priority? Tunisian Civil Society Again Opposes the National Reconciliation Law

This is the third time that the Tunisian government, supported by several Members of Parliament, has put debate of the National Reconciliation Law on the political agenda. Rearranged in form but with the same substantial faults, this law has mobilized the opposition — for the third time — of approximately 20 civil society organizations that met yesterday and plan to soon hold a press conference.

04/25/17
Press Releases

Writing the Unvoiced: Tunisian Women Break the Silence About Repression

The impact of Tunisia's transitional justice process is rooted in its ability to give voice to diverse segments of the population, including historically marginalized communities. A workshop hosted by ICTJ brought generations of women together to explore truth-telling techniques and create space for all voices.

04/17/17
In Focus

Court-Ordered Reparations for Sexual Violence Must Go Beyond Money to Truly Help, Says New ICTJ Paper

A new briefing paper from the International Center for Transitional Justice provides guidance for national courts issuing decisions on redress of human rights violations involving sexual violence. It encourages judges, advocates and prosecutors to consider the full range of possible forms of redress when ordering reparations for victims, to make use of relevant national and international decisions in interpreting domestic laws, and to pay particular attention to how sexual violence may affect different victims.

04/12/17
Press Releases

UN Inquiry in Myanmar Is a Moment of Truth for Aung San Suu Kyi’s Commitment to Justice

For decades, successive Myanmar political and military leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s, have flatly denied what millions of their citizens know: that the military has committed and continues to commit human rights violations. A new UN inquiry into those crimes is provides a moment of truth for Suu Kyi's commitment to justice, writes ICTJ's Aileen Thomson.

04/11/17
In Focus

African Americans and Police: To Repair Broken Trust There Must Be a Reckoning First

In today’s United States, civic trust that has been systematically eroded among many communities of color. There is little basis, either historically or in the current political atmosphere, for African Americans and other minorities to have this essential trust in government institutions, particularly in the police. To build that relationship, there must first be a reckoning, writes ICTJ President David Tolbert.

04/07/17
In Focus

Reflections on the Struggle for Justice: Jill Williams

To mark 15 years of ICTJ, we asked staff past and present for the memories that stand out from their work. Former ICTJ consultant and Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Greensboro, North Carolina Jill Williams reflects on her efforts to bridge a cultural gap in the pursuit of shared values.

04/03/17
In Focus

Men and Boys Are Victims Of Sexual Violence, Too

The taboo around sexual violence against men and boys can leave victims in the shadows, write ICTJ's Kelli Muddell and Sibley Hawkins. Without acknowledgment of these crimes, efforts to address injustices of the past will be hard-pressed to develop inclusive and effective responses.

03/27/17
In Focus

Public Hearings: Platforms of Truth, Dignity, and Catharsis

On the International Day for the Right to Truth we spotlight one of the most powerful ways truth commissions can reassert victims' dignity: public hearings. These open events can have a potentially cathartic power for victims and their families, but also the public at large by generating solidarity and empathy for the suffering of others in societies deeply polarized and traumatized by atrocities and denial.

03/24/17
In Focus

Tunisia Hosts Public Hearings to Mark International Day for the Right to Truth

In Tunisia, public hearings have fundamentally changed public dialogue about the past. The Truth and Dignity Commission will hold special session scheduled to coincide with the International Day for the Right to the Truth on March 24th. Watch live here:

03/24/17
In Focus

"The Earthquake That Builds": The Impact of Public Hearings in Tunisia

In Tunisia, the Truth and Dignity Commission's public hearings have fundamentally altered the dialogue around the past in Tunisia. To mark the International Day for the Right to Truth ICTJ Director of Communications Refik Hodzic sat down with two women whose work has been critical to the success of the commission – ICTJ Salwa El Gantri and TDC Commissioner Ibtihel Abdellatif – to discuss what they have taken away from public hearings so far.

03/24/17
In Focus

LIVE: Tunisia Public Hearings Continue with Focus on Violations of Digital Freedom

Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission continues its public hearings, focusing on violations of digital freedom.

03/11/17
In Focus

LIVE: Tunisia Public Hearings Resume with Focus on Women

At 3 pm, Eastern Time, Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission is scheduled to resume its public hearings with a session focusing on violations against women. Watch the livesteam below and follow us on twitter at @theICTJ for live coverage.

03/10/17
In Focus

Reflections on the Struggle for Justice: Reshma Thapa

To mark 15 years of ICTJ, we asked staff past and present for memories that stand out to them - moments that throw the stakes of our work into sharp relief and resonate with them years later. Reshma Thapa, former ICTJ senior program associate in Nepal (2009- 2013), looks back on one particularly poignant dance shared among women in a small village.

02/28/17
In Focus

Reflections on the Struggle for Justice: Cristián Correa

To mark 15 years of ICTJ, we asked staff past and present for memories that stand out to them - moments that throw the stakes of our work into sharp relief and resonate with them years later. Cristián Correa, Senior Associate in ICTJ’s Reparative Justice Program, shares a story about a Chilean mother's thirst to tell her daughter the truth about their past.

02/14/17
In Focus

ICTJ Names Human Rights Leader Juan E. Méndez to Colombia Justice Committee

ICTJ has named the globally recognized jurist and human rights expert Juan E. Méndez as its delegate to the Colombian Selection Committee created by the 2016 peace agreement signed between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

02/03/17
Press Releases

Human Rights Movement Must Come Together to Resist Trump’s Agenda

Donald Trump is on a road to undermine the progress that decades of struggle has achieved - the time for action and resistance is now. The human rights movement must come together to resist his agenda, writes ICTJ President David Tolbert.

01/27/17
In Focus