132 results

Moving Documentary Film on Children Born of War in Northern Uganda Released by ICTJ and MediaStorm

NEW YORK, February 2, 2016 – A short documentary film depicting the devastating effects of stigma and discrimination against children born of wartime sexual violence, and their mothers, in northern Uganda was released today by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and MediaStorm....

02/02/17
Press Releases

I Am Not Who They Think I Am: New ICTJ and MediaStorm Film Confronts Stigma Facing Children Born of War

I Am Not Who They Think I Am , a new film by ICTJ and MediaStorm, exposes the stigma facing children born of conflict and their mothers and advocates for their right to reparations and redress from the state.

02/01/17
In Focus

The Complex Reality Beyond the Trial of Dominic Ongwen

Dominic Ongwen's ICC trial will determine whether the former child-soldier-turned-LRA-commander is guilty or innocent. However, for those of us supporting justice globally, discussion must extend beyond simple dichotomies: the reality of Ongwen’s actions and the context in which they occurred is much more complex than whether he is guilty or innocent. Moreover, the calls for justice by victims in Uganda extend far beyond the trial of a single man, and demand a multifaceted response.

12/05/16
In Focus

Contested Transitions: Dilemmas of Transitional Justice in Colombia and Comparative Experience

This volume examines the effects, risks, and potential of extending the field of transitional justice to cases that do not present a key moment of political transition to peace or democracy and instead are defined by political continuity and ongoing conflict. It begins with analyses o...

by

Amanda Lyons and Michael Reed

Helping Victims Overcome Human Rights Violations Through Education

Understanding education as a form of both reconstruction and reparations is essential for societies in their efforts to address victims’ rights and help victims and their families overcome the consequences of a painful past.

07/27/16
In Focus

Kwoyelo and Ongwen Trials Show Progress in Fight Against Impunity

The long-awaited trials of two LRA leaders, Dominic Ongwen and Thomas Kwoyelo, will proceed in two different settings - but why? ICTJ's Sarah Kasande explains the significance of Ongwen's trial before the International Criminal Court and Kwoyelo's prosecution by the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Gulu, Uganda.

07/25/16
In Focus

Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Complementarity?

Think you're an expert on how national courts and the ICC work together? Put your knowledge to the test!

07/14/16
In Focus

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

“I Know the Medicine I Need”: Survivors’ Experiences Must Shape Policy

Workshop gathers survivors of gender-based wartime violence to share experiences with policymakers and practitioners.

07/08/16
In Focus

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

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

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 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

Truth is the First Step Towards Peace

As we search for ways to halt the violence and foster lasting peace in societies grappling with a legacy of massive human rights abuse, there is arguably no more important day to reflect upon the importance of the struggle for truth and justice than today, March 24. Thus, we take a moment to mark the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims.

03/24/16
In Focus

ICTJ Brings Together the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania to Discuss Response to International Crimes

Eastern DRC continues to be affected by conflict and serious crimes continue to be committed against civilians living in the area by the national army (FARDC), national armed groups, and foreign armed forces. Holding perpetrators accountable is essential to dismantling the structures that allow the ongoing cycle of abuses to continue in the DRC.

03/14/16
In Focus

As ICC Holds Key Hearing in Ongwen Case, LRA Victims in Uganda Need More Than Prosecutions

Ugandan victims of the LRA have waited over a decade to see the group’s leadership held accountable for crimes committed during the armed conflict with Uganda’s government. They saw it happen last week, when former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen appeared in court for an important hearing at the International Criminal Court.

01/26/16
In Focus

Redress Needed for Children Born of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Northern Uganda and Their Mothers

Children born as a result of wartime sexual violence in northern Uganda and their mothers face continued and compounded violations of their rights and dignity, says ICTJ. Without urgent redress, they will continue on a path of marginalization, poverty, and further abuse.

10/28/15
Press Releases

From Rejection to Redress: Overcoming Legacies of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Northern Uganda

Women and girls in Northern Uganda were victims of various forms of sexual violence, crimes whose consequences endure today. Many of the survivors bore children as a result of their violations, and the children born of wartime rape have been largely overlooked by the state. Meanwhile,...

by

Virginie Ladisch

Report

From Rejection to Redress: Overcoming Legacies of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence for Women and Their Children in Northern Uganda

This paper examines the unique, enduring consequences of conflict-related sexual violence in northern Uganda, focusing specifically on the impact of the lack of accountability for sexual crimes leading to motherhood on girls and women, and on the children they bore as a result of viol...

by

Virginie Ladisch

Briefing Paper

What future for children born of war?

ICTJ's Virginie Ladisch explores the consequences of social stigmatization and other problems facing children born of war in Uganda, Nigeria and beyond in this new op-ed.

06/17/15
In Focus

ICTJ Paper Calls on Government of Uganda to Urgently Adopt Transitional Justice Policy

A new paper by ICTJ identifies several factors impeding Uganda's efforts to acknowledge violations and hold perpetrators accountable.

06/16/15
Press Releases

On the Path to Vindicate Victims’ Rights in Uganda: Reflections on the Transitional Justice Process Since Juba

The government of Uganda has been slow to address and remedy serious human rights abuses committed against civilians throughout the country, despite its commitment under the Juba peace talks. This paper analyzes some of the underlying factors that seem to impede the implementation of ...

by

Michael Otim and Kasande Sarah Kihika

Briefing Paper

ICTJ: South Africa Allows Bashir to Depart, Dealing Grave Blow to Victims’ Rights and International Justice

The actions of the South African government, in allowing Bashir to depart, have dealt a grave blow to the rights of victims of atrocities in Darfur and to the prospects of establishing a credible system of international criminal justice through the ICC.

06/15/15
Press Releases

ICTJ Condemns the Murder of Joan Kagezi, Prosecutor of International Crimes in Uganda

ICTJ condemns in the strongest terms the murder last night of Senior Principal State Attorney Joan Kagezi, in Kiwatule, east of Kampala. As the founding prosecutor of the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda, Kagezi played an instrumental role in introducing best practices to advance the effective investigation and prosecution of international crimes in Uganda.

03/31/15
Press Releases

Is Uganda’s Judicial System Ready to Prosecute Serious Crimes?

After LRA commander Dominic Ongwen was transferred to the ICC to face trial, questions have again been raised about Uganda's ability to prosecute serious crimes. A new publication from ICTJ analyzes the opportunities and challenges for the prosecution of serious crimes in Uganda and concludes with recommendations to enhance accountability in the country.

01/22/15
In Focus

Pursuing Accountability for Serious Crimes in Uganda’s Courts: Reflections on the Thomas Kwoyelo Case

This paper describes proceedings in Uganda’s national courts against Thomas Kwoyelo, a former mid-level commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It analyzes the opportunities and challenges for the prosecution of serious crimes in Uganda and...

by

Kasande Sarah Kihika and Meritxell Regué

Briefing Paper

ICC’s Intolerance of Impunity Does Not Make It an Enemy of Peace

ICTJ Vice President Paul Seils writes that the ICC cannot endorse impunity measures any more than others committed to the defense of human rights and the struggle for peace and justice.

11/17/14
In Focus

For Effective Justice for Women in Northern Uganda, Listen to Survivors

A new report from ICTJ provides insights on how women in northern Uganda have been affected by conflict, and gives recommendations on how transitional justice measures can recognize and redress the specific harms suffered by women as a result of the LRA conflict.

10/20/14
In Focus

On the Front Lines of Justice: The Struggle for Accountability in National Contexts

On International Criminal Justice Day, 2014, ICTJ joins the global celebrations marking the groundbreaking establishment of the Rome Statute in 1998, which created the International Criminal Court (ICC). To mark the day, we review five contexts where national systems proved it was possible to bring perpetrators to justice where it matters the most.

07/15/14
In Focus

Uganda: War Victims Emphasize Urgent Need for Reparations

The need for a comprehensive reparations process was the central theme of the National War Victims’ Conference held in in May, in Kampala, Uganda.

06/24/14
In Focus

Kofi Annan Foundation and ICTJ Call for Contextualized Approaches to Peace Processes

Truth commissions can make important contributions to peace processes if all parties can agree on common objectives and there is genuine local political will to shed light on past events. This is the key finding of a new study – titled “Challenging the Conventional: Can Truth Commissions Strengthen Peace Processes?” – to be released on 19 June 2014 by ICTJ and the Kofi Annan Foundation.

06/18/14
Press Releases

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 ...

Report

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...

Briefing Paper

"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
In Focus

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 Focus

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
In Focus

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
Press Releases

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
In Focus

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
In Focus

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
In Focus

ICTJ Program Report: Gender Justice

In this edition of ICTJ's Program report, Kelli Muddell, director of ICTJ's Gender Justice program, reflects on ICTJ’s vision of gender justice, the challenges facing survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in times of transition, and how ICTJ is working to address inequality in countries like Colombia, Nepal, and Tunisia.

02/21/13
In Focus

After Years of Conflict, Uganda Has Opportunity to Compensate Victims

The government of Uganda should work to institute comprehensive reparations for victims of the war against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). So states a new report by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP).

02/18/13
Press Releases

Unredressed Legacy: Possible Policy Options and Approaches to Fulfilling Reparations in Uganda

There is now an opportunity to design and implement a reparations program for victims of human rights and humanitarian law violations in Uganda. As with other countries emerging from conflict, the contours of a Ugandan reparations policy have been the subject of extended debate and ge...

by

Graham Carrington and Elena Naughton

Report

International Experts Gather in Freetown to Discuss Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone

As the Special Court for Sierra Leone wraps up cases against accused war criminals, a conference will be held later this week in Freetown to assess the Court’s work and lasting legacy. The conference is part of a larger international effort to look at how the court has helped to bring peace and establish the rule of law for the people of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the region as a whole.

02/05/13
Press Releases

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

Exploring the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone: Freetown Conference

The International Center for Transitional Justice and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, with support from the Government of Canada, are pleased to announce "Exploring the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone," an expert conference in Freetown, 6-7 February, 2013.

01/16/13
In Focus

ICTJ Program Report: Africa

The latest ICTJ Program Report presents ICTJ’s work in Africa. In a deeply insightful interview, Suliman Baldo, director of ICTJ’s Africa program and one of the world’s leading experts on transitional justice in Africa, discusses transitional justice processes in Ivory Coast, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.

12/04/12
In Focus

Exploring the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone

As the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone draws to a close, we take stock of the historic milestones it has passed since its creation in advancing transitional justice through a special multimedia project, “ Exploring the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone .” This website will support two conferences: one in New York on November 7-8, 2012, and one in Freetown on January 9-10, 2013. The website will be regularly updated to provide information on the history of the court and its legacy through interactive multimedia and other features.

11/06/12
In Focus

Confronting the Past: Truth Telling and Reconciliation in Uganda

National healing and reconciliation in Uganda requires a multilayered truth-telling process comprised of community and national processes that are mutually reinforcing and should not be mutually exclusive, as proposed by the JLOS report. A national truth-telling body should address is...

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ICTJ Uganda

Briefing Paper

Reparations for Northern Uganda: Addressing the Needs of Victims and Affected Communities

Since independence Ugandans have endured episodes of violence and human rights abuses across successive political regimes and transitions with devastating consequences. During two decades of conflict in the northern Uganda involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the government ...

by

ICTJ Uganda

Briefing Paper