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This publication is intended to facilitate the process of drafting a mandate for a truth commission charged with the nonjudicial investigation of serious human rights violations. It covers the different aspects of a legal mandate that are necessary to enable an effective truth-seeking body, including: the objectives, the definition of the object of inquiry the normative, and policy orientations entrusted to the commission. It provides several examples of how laws and decrees in different countries have tackled the elements of a commission’s mandate, which are meant for illustration only, not as models to follow. The document is designed to be used by government officials, civil society activists, victims’ organizations and other stakeholders in a transitional justice process.

In pursuing the truth about mass crimes, a mandate provides a truth commission with more than just a legal authorization to act. It sets out a vision of what society hopes to achieve through the truth-seeking process and provides direction to commissioners and others in their operations. ICTJ has just released a new publication, “Drafting a Truth Commission Mandate: A Practical Tool,” which is intended to inform victims’ groups, civil society, and governments about the contents of a legal mandate of a truth commission.

Thomas Buergenthal, Holocaust survivor and former judge of the International Court of Justice, is one of the world's most distinguished jurists. In conversation with ICTJ President David Tolbert, Judge Buergenthal shares his own personal story of surviving the Holocaust as a young boy, and reflects on the changing landscape of transitional justice around the world

This report evaluates the government of Peru’s partial results in providing compensation to victims of the internal armed conflict that devastated the country from 1980 to 2000. It provides a detailed analysis of the process of implementing the Comprehensive Reparations Plan, established on the basis of recommendations made by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (2003). The report also reflects on the relationship between development policies and reparations in considering investment projects undertaken to date as part of the Collective Reparations Program.

Thousands of victims of Peru’s internal conflict are still awaiting compensation and benefits as part of a 2005 national reparations plan, says a report released today by ICTJ. “Reparations in Peru: From Recommendations to Implementation,” looks at the government of Peru’s mixed record of providing compensation to individuals and communities that suffered some of the most serious crimes during the conflict.

As Tunisia concludes its final deliberations on the new constitution, transitional justice issues such as reparations for victims, truth about the past and the rights of women have been central to the legislative debates. Over the past month, ICTJ’s leading experts have been engaged with stakeholders on the ground on a variety of issues under deliberation, including truth-seeking, reparations, gender justice, and the role of children and youth.

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.

This paper examines the crime of forced displacement from the perspective of both international and national legal frameworks. The crime of forced displacement is a notion that comes from international law. Indeed, an international legal framework has developed with the instruments and jurisprudence to criminally prosecute forced displacement as a war crime or a crime against humanity, whether the displacement in question is internal or across international borders. When it constitutes a serious crime under international law, forced displacement should be prosecuted for the same reasons as other serious crimes.

Although transitional justice processes are intended to help heal and restore society after conflict or authoritarian rule, marginalized groups often struggle to make their voices heard. These groups include those who have been displaced by conflict and, within that category, those who have specifically faced gender-based violence and injustice within the trajectory of displacement. This paper explores the relationship between transitional justice and forced migration from a gendered perspective.

Humanitarians, development agencies, human rights organizations, and peacebuilding actors are commonly drawn to the same flash points of conflict, human rights violations, and states in need of rebuilding. Operating in common country contexts leads to increased interactions between these actors, creating tensions as well as opportunities for collaboration and cooperation. This paper focuses on the specific concerns of humanitarian actors regarding transitional justice in contexts of displacement, and offers some suggestions for bridging the apparent divide between humanitarian and transitional justice actors.