Search

This year, Colombia commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Justice and Peace Law, which established the country’s first formal transitional justice mechanism. On this milestone anniversary, ICTJ reflects on the evolution that led to the groundbreaking law, the lessons that have been learned so far, and the challenges that lie ahead.

Despite the enormous challenges, Sudanese civil society and other stakeholders are prioritizing transitional justice, acknowledging the need to address past injustices to end the cycle of conflict in their country. ICTJ continues to support them as they envision and design victim-centered, gender-sensitive, and inclusive strategies. Leading these efforts is ICTJ's Ilaria Martorelli. In this interview, she discusses the prospects for lasting peace, accountability, and repair in Sudan.

On October 6, the International Criminal Court (ICC) found former Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (also known as Ali Kushayb) guilty of 27 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004. This landmark verdict counters cycles of impunity in Sudan and sends a powerful message that these crimes are not tolerated.

ICTJ and its partners in the Bridges of Truth project presented in Damascus the findings from their recent report on the first community dialogues held in Syria since the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024. On October 7, victims and family members, civil society actors, representatives from the country’s nascent transitional justice commissions, government officials, and international partners gathered to reflect on the lessons learned from the dialogues and the path forward for truth, justice, and accountability in Syria.

This report assesses the gender sensitivity of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP). Drawing on continental practice and scholarship, it identifies opportunities for AU member states, civil society, and donors to strengthen the policy’s implementation and its responsiveness to the gender-related needs of victims and communities.

On the eve of Côte d'Ivoire’s 58th independence anniversary, in a dubious attempt at “social cohesion,” President Alassane Ouattara granted amnesty to 800 persons accused or convicted of crimes against the state during the post-election crisis of 2010-2011. Former First Lady Simone Gbagbo — who had been tried for undermining state security — and other high-ranking officials associated with former President Laurent Gbagbo’s party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), were among those released. The lapses in accountability and acknowledgment in Cote d’Ivoire have emboldened perpetrators and made it impossible for many victims to move on with their lives. The challenges of transitional justice processes present clear obstacles to the sustainable peace that the people of Cote d’Ivoire have been working toward.

On July 28, 2025, the Somali Regional State Council passed a resolution designating April 6 as Victims’ Memorial Day, formally recognizing those who experienced violence and human rights violations across Ethiopia’s Somali Region. For years, victims and civil society actors, with support from ICTJ and other international partners, have persistently advocated for this acknowledgment, which marks a milestone in Ethiopia’s journey toward accountability and repair.

The death of eight women in childbirth at a hospital in Agadir this past August sent shockwaves through Morocco. The news crystallized national anger over deteriorating public services as well as persistent high unemployment and corruption. Years of frustration erupted into the streets as thousands of mostly young Moroccans gathered in cities and towns across the nation to protest and to demand accountability and institutional reform.

On November 20 — on the 80th anniversary of the opening of the main Nuremberg trial, which prosecuted Nazi leadership for aggression and mass atrocities of World War II — details of the allegedly proposed new “peace” plan for Ukraine emerged. The initiative has surfaced one of the Kremlin’s recurrent demands: full amnesty for wartime atrocities — the very acts Nuremberg sought to punish and prevent.