1541 results

Symposium: The Trial of Saddham Hussein

This article examines and evaluates the Iraq Tribunal's Dujail Trial. The trial marks the beginning of a longer accountability process in the country and can potentially make a lasting contribution to transitional justice. This study assesses the fairness and effectiveness of the tria...

by

Ethics & International Affairs; Miranda Sissons

Briefing Paper

Synthesis Report on "Supporting Complementarity at the National Level: From Theory to Practice"

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Governments of Denmark and South Africa, and in close consultation with the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute (ASP), held a...

by

ICTJ

Report

Syria: UN and Arab League Must Act Swiftly to Address Crimes

As the international community considers its response to the surging violence in Syria, those responsible for gross human rights violations in the country should be held to account, said the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) today.

08/16/11
Press Release

In Syria, Little Chance of Justice or Change Without Return of Displaced

In this op-ed, ICTJ Vice President Paul Seils calls on the international community to prioritize the return of Syrian refugees to their homes instead of posturing about Assad's ouster.

04/19/16
In Focus

To Syria’s New Justice Commissions: Victims Need You Now

Across Syria today, we continue to witness human rights violations and abuses that run counter to the very principles upon which the revolution was built. In particular, recent violence in the coast and Sweida has deepened the sense of fear and mistrust already felt by many communities. Meanwhile, Syria's new transitional justice commissions have been working hard to lay the foundations of their mandates. Now, at this critical juncture, they must show that they are ready to lead and first and foremost to serve victims.

07/31/25

by

Nousha Kabawat

A large outdoor mural of a man's face is painted over with the Syrian revolution flag. Next to it, the English "Free" is painted in green.
Opinion

Systematization of Acknowledgment Processes of the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Repetition in Colombia

As part of its mandate, Colombia's Commission for the Clarification of Truth carried out 68 processes of acknowledgment led or supported by a specialized team. These processes sought to acknowledge victims and the harms they suffered, as well as individual or collective responsibiliti...

by

María Cielo Linares

Former guerrilla member Gabriel Ángel holds the microphone for former paramilitary member Nodier Giraldo during an event at the Truth Commission.
Report

Taylor’s Judgment Will Impact the Course of International Justice

The significance of Charles Taylor’s judgment rendered few days ago in The Hague goes far beyond Taylor himself, or even the Special Court for Sierra Leone. This decision will be an unavoidable legal precedent in any future deliberation of the role played by leaders and states in crimes committed by forces they support in other countries, writes ICTJ's president David Tolbert in this op-ed.

10/02/13
In Focus

Teaching Truth in the Classroom: Canadian Youth Address the Legacy of Indian Residential Schools

As the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission provides its final report this week, ICTJ presents a video in culmination of our work with youth in support of the TRC over the course of its mandate. "The Truth in the Classroom" demonstrates the commitment of children and youth across Canada to engage with issues related to Indian Residential Schools and to promote education about their legacy.

06/01/15
In Focus

Telling Women's Stories of Repression in Tunisia

During the Ben Ali dictatorship in Tunisia, Najet Gabsi, an educator pursuing a diploma in law, was imprisoned for six months for her political activities. Through her participation in the "Voices of Memory" art exhibition, she was able to reignite her passion for activism and articulate the harms she endured at the hand of the regime.

08/13/19
In Focus

Ten Years After Peace, Is Nepal Finally Serious About Finding Its Disappeared?

1,300 are still missing in Nepal, nearly a decade after the country's bloody civil war ended. The peace agreement was meant to provide for the families of the disappeared, but today they are still searching for answers. As a new government body begins investigations, victims wonder: is the commission fully committed to addressing their needs?

08/29/16
In Focus

Ten Years After Peru’s Truth Commission

Ten years ago, on August 28, 2003, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Peru presented its final report, clarifying the grave human rights violations committed between 1980 and 2000 during the internal armed conflict and the regime headed by Alberto Fujimori. This month, ICTJ joins Peru to examine the legacy and impact of the TRC.

08/19/13
In Focus

Ten Years On, ICTJ Continues to Develop the Field of Transitional Justice

As ICTJ celebrates ten years of existence and contribution to the development of the field of transitional justice, we are poised for a future of continued engagement with partners and communities seeking to overcome legacies of mass violence and repression. Ten years on, we now work in a world increasingly aware of the of the costs of failing to systematically transition from conflict and human rights abuse to the rule of law and equal rights for all citizens, and on the other hand, of the increasing complexity of doing so.

09/27/11
In Focus

That Someone Guilty Be Punished: The Impact of the ICTY in Bosnia

Bosnians have a range of expectations of the ICTY—or as it is known in the region, “the Hague Tribunal” or simply “The Hague”—comparing their hopes to the goals enunciated by the Security Council when it created the Tribunal and by the ICTY itself.

by

ICTJ, Open Society, Diane F. Orentlicher

Report

The Accelerating Tragedy of Syria’s Displaced: Failed Commitments, Forced Returns, and the Normalization of International Crimes

Drawing from data and testimonies of Syrians both inside the country and in the diaspora collected by civil society organizations, this report looks at the justice needs of Syrian victims of human rights violations in the context of ongoing debates on refugee returns. It critically ex...

by

Bridges of Truth

Illustration depicting an elderly woman carrying an armchair on her back
Report

The Accountability Gap on Sexual Violence in Kenya: Reforms and Initiatives Since the Post-Election Crisis

This briefing paper reviews the Kenyan government’s response to sexual and gender-based violence committed against women, men, and children during the 2007/2008 post-election crisis. It draws on interviews with over 40 survivors about their experience and analyzes the laws and transit...

Briefing Paper

The Accountability Landscape in Eastern DRC

This report analyzes the response of Congolese judicial authorities to international crimes committed in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2009 to 2014, with a particular focus on the war-torn East (North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri). It finds that the number ...

by

Sofia Candeias, Luc Côté, Elsa Papageorgiou, and Myriam Raymond-Jetté

Report

The Accountability Landscape in Eastern DRC Analysis of the National Legislative and Judicial Response to International Crimes (2009–2014) - Briefing

This briefing paper summarizes the findings of an ICTJ report (by the same name) on the judicial response to international crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It makes substantive recommendations to justice stakeholders in the DRC on how to advance prosecutions of internat...

by

Sofia Candeias, Luc Côté, Elsa Papageorgiou, and Myriam Raymond-Jetté

Briefing Paper

As the UN Agenda on Women, Peace, and Security Celebrates 20 Years, ICTJ Honors One of Its Own Women Peacebuilders

The purpose of Resolution 1325 is to highlight the particular way in which women and girls suffer in situations of conflict, as well as the critical role they play in peacebuilding. To commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the resolution, ICTJ would like celebrate the life and work of one its own women peacebuilders: María Camila Moreno Múnera, head of ICTJ’s Colombia office. She exemplifies what a woman leader can achieve in advancing truth, justice, reparation, and peace.

10/30/20

by

María Margarita Rivera Escolar

In Focus

The Amnesty Law in Venezuela: A Step Toward Democracy?

On February 19, 2026, Venezuela’s National Assembly passed the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, which seeks to extinguish criminal liability for certain acts committed in the country over the past 26 years. While the law has sparked debate, it undeniably represents a significant development in the country's political landscape.

03/23/26
A person waves the Venezuelan flag on city street at night
Opinion

The Anfal Trial and the Iraqi High Tribunal: The Complainant Phase of the Anfal Trial

This update covers the first, complainant phase of the Anfal trial, which lasted for twenty-three sessions from August 21 to November 27, 2006. Seventy-six complainants presented testimony regarding their experiences during the Anfal campaign. Information is taken directly from obser...

by

ICTJ, Bill van Esveld

Report

The Anfal Trial and the Iraqi High Tribunal Update Number Three: The Defense Phase and Closing Stages of the Anfal Trial

This update series summarizes developments in the Anfal trial of Saddam Hussein, his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, and five other co-defendants before the Iraqi High Tribunal. It covers the trial's defense and closing phases. Five of the six defendants were sentenced to either multiple ...

by

ICTJ; Clark Gard

Briefing Paper

The Applicability of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to Events which Occurred During the Early Twentieth Century

This memorandum is a legal analysis of the applicability of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to events which occurred in Turkey-Armenia during the early twentieth century. It was drafted by independent legal counsel based on a request made to...

by

ICTJ

Briefing Paper

‘The Axe and the Tree’ Premieres in South Africa

May 24, 2011 – The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Curious Pictures and Pivot Pictures hosted the premier of The Axe and the Tree: Zimbabwe’s Legacy of Political Violence at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, South Africa.

05/24/11
In Focus

‘The Bird Will Not Return to the Cage:’ An Analysis of Tunisia’s 2019 Elections

Recently, Tunisia held its third parliamentary elections since the revolution and the second presidential elections since late President Béji Caid Essebssi passed away on July 25, 2019. It remains to be seen if the election’s results will usher in a new era of dignity, for which Tunisians took the streets in 2010 and 2011.

10/25/19

by

Salwa El Gantri

In Focus

The Bumpy Road to Peace and Accountability: Transitional Justice in the African Great Lakes Region

In Africa's Great Lakes region, countries face common challenges like bad governance, inequitable distribution of natural resources, and ethnic divisions. As nations like Burundi, Central African Republic and South Sudan work towards peacebuilding and accountability, they should learn from what has worked and what has not in neighboring countries, writes Sarah Kihika Kasande, ICTJ's Head of Office in Uganda.

04/24/17
In Focus