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Helen Mack, sister of murdered Guatemalan anthropologist Myrna Mack, speaks at March 2015 meeting of La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) (Photo: Flickr/cidh/Daniel Cima)

IJT 188

02 December 2015

IJT 188 takes a close look at Guatemala's newly opened 'high-risk' court, which many hope will expedite lawsuits concerning the country's decades-long armed conflict. 

Other features:

  • In the Netherlands, an Afghan army commander-turned-Dutch national was arrested and accused of war crimes allegedly committed in 1979.
  • In Bangladesh, two men were hanged for committing international crimes during the war of independence, compelling many Bangladeshis to celebrate and international human rights organizations to question the International Crimes Tribunal's fairness.
  • While ICC state parties held their annual meeting last month in The Hague, groups discussed on the side whether ecocide could become the fifth crime against peace.

 

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Helen Mack, sister of murdered Guatemalan anthropologist Myrna Mack, speaks at March 2015 meeting of La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) (Photo: Flickr/cidh/Daniel Cima)
 

In Guatemala, a new criminal court for big-risk cases but little faith in judicial independence

19 November 2015 by Louisa Reynolds, Guatemala City (Guatemala)

A new Guatemalan court to oversee complex criminal cases raises hopes that lawsuits, including those concerning the country’s decades-long armed conflict, will be processed with greater speed. Human rights organizations praise the court, which opened on 28 October, though some question the independence of its judges.

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Exhumations from May 2015 on a Periprava site believed to be a graveyard for camp victims (Photo: IICCMER)

IJT 183

03 June 2015

IJT 183 delves into an emotional trial in Romania in which Communist labour camp survivors confront their ex-commander.

Other features:

  • The first-ever ICTR trial transfer could be recalled from Rwanda
  • A new museum at a former detention centre reignites Argentina's debate on memorials
  • The world wrongly gambled on peace without justice in Burundi, says transitional justice expert in a Q&A

News brief:

  • Ivorian ex-first lady Simone Gbagbo is still wanted in The Hague
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United Nations Operation in Burundi disarms rebel forces in Mbanda in February 2005 (Photo: Flickr/UN Photo/Martine Perret)
 

The world wrongly gambled on peace without justice in Burundi, says transitional justice expert

03 June 2015 by Janet H. Anderson, The Hague (The Netherlands)

Over the last month, Burundi has hit the headlines as the president put himself forward to be elected for a controversial third term, resulting in street protests, thousands of refugees who fled instability and an attempted coup. Behind the issues of elections and constitutionalism are also those of justice following Burundi’s long-running civil war. The international community supported an intensive process of negotiation and the signing of the Arusha Accord in 2000. But in the decade and a half since, its provisions on justice have been debated though never fully implemented.

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ICTJ: a decade of justice

27 April 2011 by Geraldine Coughlan

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Created in 2001, the ICTJ works to redress and prevent the most severe violations of human rights by confronting legacies of mass abuse.

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The hybrid model for Burundi

27 June 2005 by -

Burundi is to experiment transitional justice using a mixed model. On 20 June, the UN Security Council agreed to examine the recommendation made by Secretary General Kofi Annan to install a "dual mechanism to establish the facts and responsibilities" for the crimes committed in this small central- African country. Annan must now report back to the Security Council before 30 September on the cost and implications of setting up two complementary institutions - a truth commission and a special chamber within the national justice system.

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Myanmar war crimes report spotlights transitional justice

03 December 2014 by Paul Vrieze, Rangoon (Myanmar)

A recent independent report finds three senior military officers could be held responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by Myanmar army personnel during an offensive against ethnic armed groups in the east of the country.

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transitional justice