Transitional justice refers to the ways countries emerging from periods of conflict and repression address large-scale or systematic human rights violations so serious that the normal justice system will not be able to provide an adequate response. Many countries are struggling with historical legacies of dictatorship, armed conflict, repression and massacres and in order to (re)build a stable society, these countries have to develop specific transitional justice strategies and measures to come to terms with their traumatic past. The broad measures of transitional justice include:criminal prosecutions, truth seeking, institutional reforms, reparation programs, security sector reform, and memorialisation efforts. To be effective, transitional justice measures should be part of a holistic approach. In order to facilitate a transition into a more democratic or peaceful future, the needs of victims are essential as well as including gender justice to ensure women have equal access to the mechanisms.

With the assistance of the recently elected UN Special Rapporteur Fabián Salvioli and a civil society representative, this seminar outlines the essence of transitional justice with a particular focus on the challenges and possibilities when applying transitional justice mechanisms in societies emerging from repressive or democratically fragile settings.

This seminar will be interpreted in writing by real-time captioning.