440 results

New ICTJ Guide Offers Recommendations for Interviewing Young People As Part of Truth Seeking and Documentation Efforts

In the aftermath of massive human rights violations, the voices of young people carry enormous potential: they can tell the truth about the past while offering new paths forward as their societies pursue peace and justice. However, if institutions want the insights of young people, they must avoid pre-formulated solutions and instead engage with youth on their own terms. A new guide released by ICTJ today aims to provide the tools necessary to do so, offering recommendations about how to responsibly and effectively gather statements from young people.

02/01/18
Press Release

New ICTJ Paper Explores Role of Reconciliation in Transitional Justice

When armed conflict or atrocities have torn a society apart, it can be difficult for people to regain trust in the government and reconcile with those they see as their enemies or abusers. While the idea of reconciliation has been closely linked to transitional justice, misunderstandings of the term have sometimes led to superficial, even harmful approaches to addressing the past. A new paper from the International Center for Transitional Justice looks at different understandings of reconciliation and its place in transitional justice.

06/29/17
Press Release

New Report Explores Challenges of Measuring Results of Transitional Justice Processes

New York, January 25, 2021—"You cannot deliver 500 kilograms of transitional justice,” explains a high-level UN official in a new ICTJ report released today that explores the theoretical and practical challenges of measuring the results of transitional justice processes. These processes are complex and politically contested and are thus notoriously difficult to evaluate. The report offers key insights related to and tools for evaluating and monitoring transitional justice processes and assessing their impact.

01/25/21
Press Release

New Study Calls for Reparations for Victims of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Uganda

Kampala, October 17, 2022—Sixteen years after the decades-long conflict between the Ugandan government and the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) ended, victims continue to grapple with its persistent effects. Victims of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and children born of war, in...

10/17/22
Press Release

New Study Considers Victim-Centered Approaches for Justice in Central African Republic

New York, March 10, 2021—“We want to turn the page, but not at the cost of justice”—that was a message repeated by victims of human rights abuses interviewed in a new report released today on transitional justice in the Central African Republic (CAR). Produced by the International Center for Transitional Justice and Cordaid, ‘A Drop of Water on a Hot Stone’: Justice for Victims in the Central African Republic presents findings from a study exploring victim-centered approaches to justice in CAR and their feasibility in a context of profound fragility and extreme poverty.

03/10/21
Press Release

Northern Uganda: Research Note on Attitudes About Peace and Justice in Northern Uganda

This research note presents preliminary population-based data on attitudes about peace and justice in northern Uganda. The survey data presented in this report were collected from April to June 2007 in eight districts of northern Uganda.

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ICTJ; HRC; Payson Center

Not Too Late for Côte d’Ivoire to Raise Its Gaze Beyond Sectional Interests in Prosecuting Post-Election Crimes

Prosecution efforts so far have exacerbated, rather than alleviated, ethnic and regional divisions. Credible prosecutions against those most responsible on all sides of the conflict would offer a clear statement to all citizens of Côte d’Ivoire that the justice system is blind to ethnicity and is there to serve and protect all its citizens.

08/12/16
In Focus

It Is Not Too Late for Justice and Healing in Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire descended into chaos following the October 2010 elections. One of the enduring lessons from this tragic experience could be that elections should never give a reason to set one’s country on fire. Like it or not, however, presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire have become a malaise that grips the country every five years. And while the 2015 presidential elections were carried out peacefully, the recent October 2020 elections unfortunately were not. The tensions and violence that accompanied it, though far less devastating, brought back macabre memories of the 2010 post-election carnage that left 3,000 people dead and forced more an a million to flee their homes.

11/30/20
Opinion

I Am Not Who They Think I Am

Two women abducted by the Lord´s Resistance Army (LRA) return home with their children born of war and fight to be included in a society that deems them criminals.

Videos

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

Online Debate: Does Collective Remembrance of a Troubled Past Impede Reconciliation?

After a society is torn apart by conflict or repression, who decides whether to remember or forget the painful past? Can forgiveness happen without acknowledgement of wrongdoing? Is there a difference between forgetting and denial? Join us as ICTJ debates the impact of remembrance on reconciliation with David Rieff and Pablo de Greiff.

05/04/16
In Focus

An Opening for Transitional Justice in Ethiopia and Eritrea

The announcement by the Executive Committee of Ethiopia’s ruling party that the country will implement the 2002 Algiers peace agreement and decisions of the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission brings hope that a 20-year war that divided families and communities is finally over.

07/24/18

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Anna Myriam Roccatello

In Focus

Our Nation Our Voice and ICTJ Release Documentary Film on Young Artist-Activists in The Gambia 

Banjul, The Gambia – On October 26, 2019, t he International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) in partnership with an artist collective in The Gambia will premier e a short documentary film about a group of young musicians and activists taking part in the country’s unfolding transitional justice process.

10/21/19
Press Release

Overlooked and Invisible: The Women of Enforced Disappearances

70-94% of the victims of enforced disappearances are men. But what happens to the women left behind? ICTJ's Amrita Kapur explains why women are uniquely impacted by the crime, and how transitional justice can help.

04/14/15
In Focus

Overpromised, Underdelivered: Transitional Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper discusses the challenges encountered during efforts to pursue justice in a number of sub-Saharan African countries in transition, including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. It presents a background and geneal...

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ICTJ; Lydiah Bosire

Briefing Paper

Panel Discussion Examines the Impact of Denial

What happens when a state refuses to acknowledge the suffering of victims of mass atrocities? Or when the public celebrates perpetrators as heroes? Earlier this month, a panel discussion hosted by The International Center for Transitional Justice and New York University’s Center for Global Affairs grappled with the impact of denial on justice.

04/27/16
In Focus

Panel Discussion Explores Women's Experiences in War

A panel of policy and media experts discusses women's experience in war and the responsibility of media covering their stories at the New York City premiere of a new documentary.

02/06/17
In Focus

'Pay Back What We Have Lost': ICTJ Report Spotlights Congolese Government’s Failure to Pay Court-Ordered Reparations for Army Crimes

“Judgment Denied,” a report from the ICTJ, details four military court cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo involving dozens of victims, egregious human rights violations, and nearly $1 million in outstanding awards owed by the government. In every case, serious crimes were committed against civilians by members of the Congolese Army, but the government has yet to pay compensation ordered by the courts.

02/20/13
Press Release

Peace versus Justice: A False Dilemma

The two goals of peace and justice, rather than being exclusive, are mutually reinforcing. When justice is ignored, the danger of violence recurring remains high.

Videos

Political Pardons Would Damage the Legacy of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

President Jacob Zuma risks irreparably damaging the credibility of core elements of South Africa's deal with the victims of apartheid with his current plan to pardon 149 serious offenders and to potentially consider another 926 applications which are before him. Such a move would mark a profound breach of trust with the victims and South African society at large.

03/06/15
In Focus

Possibilities and Challenges for Transitional Justice in Mali

This briefing paper examines the potential in Mali for appropriate and effective transitional justice approaches that are reflective of the primary concerns and demands of citizens. Over 30 interviews were conducted with a wide range of actors in Bamako, including representatives of t...

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Virginie Ladisch

Briefing Paper

Pressure on Congolese Authorities Key to Ending Impunity for Sexual Violence in the DR Congo

In this opinion piece, ICTJ's Sharanjeet Parmar asks: why do international efforts to tackle impunity for sexual violence in the DRC continue to miss the mark? High-level diplomatic visits are important in underscoring the responses needed for sexual violence survivors. However, without a strong political commitment from top Congolese authorities to address rampant impunity for sexual violence, no amount of attention or media coverage will reduce the violence or put an end to the cycles of suffering.

03/27/13
In Focus

U.S. Pressure Needed to End Impunity in the Congo

For the millions of victims of the country’s successive wars, Lubanga is just one of many who are responsible for crimes on an astonishing scale. Congolese authorities must end the widespread impunity enjoyed by those who remain in positions of power in the government and military or violence and instability are likely to continue for years to come.

03/13/12
In Focus

To Prevent Enforced Disappearances, Rethink the Justice and Security Equation

With enforced disappearances on the rise, ICTJ President David Tolbert says the path to prevention is clear: the international community must reorder its priorities and change its approach. The disproportionate attention on counterterrorism takes us further away from accountability and prevention, Tolbert writes. He urges the international community to lead the way in unequivocally censoring governments that use enforced disappearance as a political tactic — and ensuring there can be no impunity for this crime.

08/30/17
In Focus

'Prince of Peace' and ICTJ Founder Alex Boraine Laid to Rest

Alex Boraine, founder of the ICTJ and soldier in the struggle for human rights around the world, will be laid to rest in Cape Town today. He has been called the “Prince of Peace” for his lifelong commitment to transforming South Africa’s society through truth, reconciliation, justice, following the horrors of apartheid.

12/12/18
Press Release

Profiles from the Front Lines of Transitional Justice: Jaqy Mutere Empowers Sexual Violence Survivors in Kenya

As ICTJ looks back on its 15 years of work, join us in celebrating our allies across the globe who join us in the struggle for human rights, against impunity. To honor their efforts in the trenches of this shared struggle, we will bring you their stories in the weeks and months to come. We begin with Kenya's Jaqy Mutere, who provides both an empathetic ear and a political voice to survivors of sexual violence.

12/15/16
In Focus

Prosecuting International and Other Serious Crimes in Kenya

This briefing paper focuses on the topic of prosecuting international and other serious crimes in Kenya, including crimes committed in the context of the postelection crisis of late 2007 and early 2008. In particular, it identifies and analyzes obstacles and opportunities for such pro...

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ICTJ

Briefing Paper

Prosecuting the Plundering of Natural Resources in Eastern DRC to Stem Violence

Potential political interference, poor evidence gathering and difficulty accessing remote areas are some of the main challenges to prosecuting economic and environmental crimes related to armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Overcoming these challenges was the focus of a two-day workshop for judges and prosecutors in Goma and Bukavu, organized by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), in collaboration with the United States Institute for Peace.

01/30/17
Press Release

Protecting the Mission and Mandate of the International Criminal Court

ICTJ calls on African states parties to the International Criminal Court to ensure fair and effective justice for serious crimes committed against Africans and others. Written in the lead up to the Rome Statute Review Conference in Kampala, May 2010.

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ICTJ

Briefing Paper

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...

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Kasande Sarah Kihika and Meritxell Regué

Briefing Paper

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

A Recipe for Violence: Uganda’s Flawed Elections Subvert Democracy

On January 14, 2021, Uganda held presidential and parliamentary elections. Incumbent President Museveni, who has been in power for 34 years, faced off against 10 opposition candidates, including pop star-turned-politician and main contender Robert Kyagulanyi, also known by his stage name Bobi Wine, of the National Unity Platform (NUP). The 2021 elections saw unprecedented state-sponsored violence, harassment of opposition candidates, and repression of civil society.

01/29/21

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Fernando Travesí

Opinion

Recommendations for Victim Reparations in Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire is obligated to provide reparations to victims of both the political violence that shook the country following the 2010 presidential elections and the different episodes of political violence and armed conflict since 1990. Fulfilling this obligation will show that the st...

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Cristián Correa and Didier Gbery

Briefing Paper

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 Release

Reed Brody: Hissène Habré Trial Shows Power of Victims’ and Civil Society’s Agency

This summer, Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad, will finally stand trial before the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal for crimes against humanity, torture, and war crimes. In a conversation with Reed Brody, counsel and spokesperson of Human Rights Watch, who has worked with Hissène Habré’s victims since 1999, we discussed the potential impact of the trial on Chad and its broader significance for the struggle against impunity in Africa.

07/02/15
In Focus

A Reflection on How to Capitalize on Small Gains in Prosecuting International Crimes in DRC

On International Justice Day, the head of ICTJ's Criminal Justice program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myriam Raymond-Jetté, reflects on how to build on small successes in prosecuting international crimes in the national courts.

07/17/15
In Focus

Reflections and Recommendations for Transitional Vetting

This policy brief presents recommendations for transitional vetting based on insights from research on vetting practice. It is meant to complement existing guidelines on vetting put forth by the United Nations and other international organizations. It&nbs...

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Daniel Blocq, Alexander Mayer-Rieckh, and Roger Duthie

Briefing Paper

Reflections on ICC Jurisprudence Regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This briefing paper analyzes and reflects on the development of the ICC prosecutor’s strategy and application of procedural rules, since operations began at the International Criminal Court more than a decade ago. The mixed results of the court’s first cases, which arise from the situ...

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Michèle Laborde-Barbanègre and Roxane Cassehgari

Briefing Paper

Reflections on the Struggle for Justice: Olivier Kambala wa Kambala

To mark 15 years of ICTJ, we asked staff past and present for memories that stand out to them - moments that throw the stakes of our work into sharp relief and resonate with them years later. Olivier Kambala wa Kambala, an ICTJ Program Associate from 2005 to 2010, talks about the thirst for justice he saw on a visit to Guinea, and how the political situation rendered quenching it impossible.

03/07/17
In Focus

Reforming Kenya’s Security Sector: Policing Culture and Youth

Between April 15 and May 3, 2019, ICTJ held a number of consultations with Kenyan youth from several informal settlements in Nairobi and Mombasa to reflect on their understanding of security sector reforms and their connection to the ongoing national dialogue process, particularly as ...

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Agatha Ndonga

Briefing Paper

In a Region of Côte d’Ivoire Ravaged by Violence, Traditional Chiefs and Youth Come Together to Build Peace

Youth activists and traditional leaders from the city of Duékoué, in western Côte d’Ivoire, gathered on October 15 to discuss how best to strengthen social cohesion and prevent future conflict. The city and surrounding region were among the areas most affected by the violence that broke out across the country following the 2010 presidential elections and that left thousands dead and many more injured, beaten, or raped.

10/30/19
In Focus

In Reintegration Programs, Seeing Former Child Soldiers as More Than Just Victims

In this op-ed marking Universal Children’s Day, ICTJ's Virginie Ladisch explains why within transitional justice, the capacity to make positive choices and demonstrate moral agency are attributes that need to be encouraged and fostered in children, especially former child soldiers.

11/19/13
In Focus

Repairing from the Bench: From Finding Responsibility to Fashioning Judicial Redress

What does the obligation to provide reparations mean when serious human rights violations are at issue? This report explores the evolving interpretation of the right to reparation in international law and jurisprudence and how domestic courts have provided judicial reparations at the ...

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Adriana Garcia Garcia, Fatima Yasmin Bokhari, and Masha Lisitsyna

A man on a bicycle rides past a building whose exterior wall is covered in a colorful mural with writing in Spanish.
Report

Reparation and the Darfur Peace Process: Ensuring Victims' Rights

This paper focuses on the issue of reparations in Darfur. It particularly emphasizes victims' right to reparation for the harm done to them, and aims to ensure that this right is recognized and upheld in any peace process. Drawing on experiences from other regions, it reviews and addr...

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ICTJ; Suliman Baldo, Lisa Magarrell

Report

Reparations and the Lubanga Case: Learning from Transitional Justice

The conviction of Thomas Lubanga is a milestone for the international criminal justice system established by the Rome Statute, and may make an important contribution to the development and definition of the right to reparations in international human rights law. ICTJ has produced a br...

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ICTJ; Ruben Carranza

Briefing Paper

Reparations and the Lubanga Case: Learning from Transitional Justice

The conviction of Thomas Lubanga is a milestone for the international criminal justice system and may make an important contribution to the development and definition of the right to reparations in international human rights law. Accompanying a submission filed with the ICC in advance of its reparations proceedings, ICTJ has produced a briefing note examining what lessons the court can learn from the broader transitional justice field.

04/18/12
In Focus

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 ...

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ICTJ Uganda

Briefing Paper

Report and Proposals for the Implementation of Reparations in Sierra Leone

This report is intended to contribute to the work of National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) and of other organizations involved in providing reparations to victims in Sierra Leone. It aims to identify some of the lessons from the Year One Program program, and to help define the...

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ICTJ, Mohamad Suma, and Cristian Correa

Report

Report on the JICA and ICTJ Workshop on "Transitional Justice and Development in Africa": Enhancing Socio-Economic Justice in Societies in Transition: Case Studies on the African Continent

With socio-economic development a crucial priority in Africa, transitional justice practitioners are asking whether methods of addressing past human rights abuses can also help tackle development issues. ICTJ, in conjunction with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), expl...

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ICTJ; Matiangai Sirleaf

A Roadmap for Justice in Africa: Understanding the African Union’s Transitional Justice Policy

On February 12, 2019, the Assembly of the African Union adopted the African Union Transitional Justice Policy. The policy serves as a guide for member states on effective and credible transitional justice processes to achieve sustainable peace, justice, reconciliation, social cohesion...

PDF of the first page of the briefing paper "A Roadmap for Justice in Africa"
Briefing Paper