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The second Latin American Conference on Transitional Justice closed July 8. In the concluding remarks, ICTJ Truth and Memory Program Director Eduardo Gonzalez stated that while this conference has focused on sharing the comparative experiences throughout Latin America, this has not been an academic exercise but a call to action. Read more on the conference blog

This paper analyzes the Maubuti case in Timor-Leste, the third serious crimes case to be brought to trial after the closure of the UN-supported Serious Crimes Unit in 2005. Maubuti was indicted for crimes against humanity including murder, attempted murder, and rape. The decision and procedural aspects of the trial raise serious concerns about the Timorese courts’ capacity to try international crimes. The case further brings into question scores of prior successful prosecutions of crimes against humanity in Timor-Leste.

“Residential schools affected everything about how we live. They targeted and destroyed our strong family unit, the basic foundation of our communities. They destroyed the glue that holds us together—love, respect and sharing.” These words, spoken by Charlie Furlong, a community leader of the Gwich'in people of Canada’s Northwest Territories, sum up the chilling legacy of the country’s policy of forced assimilation of indigenous cultures implemented through a system of Indian Residential Schools (IRS) from the 1870s to 1998.

As we approach International Justice Day on July 17, calls for accountability for human rights abuses resound across the globe, from Cairo to Washington, from Bogotá to Kinshasa, from Srebrenica to Colombo. The demands for justice are today a driving force of social change and popular revolutions, and their reach now extends to those at the highest levels of power.

NEW YORK, July 19, 2011—Leaders of the global indigenous rights community gathered in New York today for a three-day meeting to discuss how truth commissions can support indigenous rights. The Strengthening Indigenous Rights through Truth Commissions conference was organized by the International...

ICTJ's expert conference on the relationship between truth-seeking and indigenous rights is in session. View the live stream here.

Truth Commissions and Indigenous Rights: What is at Stake? The conference on Strengthening Indigenous Rights through Truth Commissions took place last week. Eduardo Gonzalez and Joanna Rice of ICTJ’s Truth and Memory Program discussed the possibilities and limitations of utilizing truth commissions to strengthen and support the rights of indigenous peoples.

Reflections for Discussion: Indigenous Rights for Truth-Seeking The second day of the conference opened with a panel on the potential of truth commissions to provide social, political, and material empowerment; report on rights violations; and rectify wrongs done to indigenous people.

Designing a Truth Commission to Support Indigenous Rights

ICTJ hosted a conference on “Strengthening Indigenous Rights through Truth Commissions” July 19-21, 2011. Regional and international experts convened to discuss how truth commissions can incorporate and address indigenous peoples’ rights. Videos of each session and summaries of the conference proceedings are available.