Resource Library

This report traces the human rights abuses under King Hassan II—including arbitrary arrest, torture, and disappearance—that led to the development of the Moroccan Equity and Reconciliation Commission (Instance Équité et Réconciliation (IER)). It provides both a historical reference an...

This paper discusses the significance of the trials of Saddam Hussein and his close associates held by the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal. It examines the challenges faced by the Tribunal - including concerns that the process was dominated by the U.S. government (hence undermining t...

This paper addresses the possible impact of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on conflict mediation and on political stability in fragile environments. It looks at issues such as: the role of criminal accountability for massive abuses, the ICC statute, practical issues that conf...

This report is based on a population-based survey assessing attitudes about peace and justice in Northern Uganda. For nearly two decades, the Lord's Resistance Army has been in conflict with Ugandan government forces, killing countless civilians and abducting tens of thousands of chil...

The Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia's reparations mandate may seem narrow and restrictive. Yet there are several potential ways in which the Court can make the right to reparations meaningful for civil parties and for many other Cambodians. It has the ability to inf...

From 1976 to 1983 Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship and an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 people "disappeared." This paper outlines transitional justice developments in Argentina - including the investigation and prosecution of human rights violations. The current movement to...

This briefing note provides a short overview of the conflict in Afghanistan's recent history, and the ongoing discussions and initiatives to address human rights violations and war crimes there. The state-building process, launched in 2001 after the ousting of the Taliban regime, has ...

This publication provides an operational framework for vetting and institutional reform. It is intended address the challenges of institutional and personnel reform in post-conflict States through the creation of vetting processes that exclude persons who lack integrity from public in...

This publication sets out basic principles and approaches to truth commissions and is intended to assist policymakers in advising on the development of truth-seeking mechanisms. It summarizes lessons learned from the experiences of over 30 truth commissions in the past two to three d...

This publication sets out basic considerations on prosecution initiatives. It is intended to assist United Nations field staff when advising on how to address the challenges of prosecuting perpetrators of crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It focuses on t...