Overview

In recent years, the two primary vehicles for the pursuit of post-conflict justice have been criminal prosecutions and alternative truth-seeking mechanisms. Although methods differ, the goal of accountability is fundamentally similar, yet more often than not the relationship between truth commissions and courts is viewed as one that is prone to conflict and difficulty. This volume explores the tension between the work of truth commissions and criminal courts in addressing serious human rights abuses in post-conflict situations. Drawing on country examples such as Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Peru, East Timor, Ghana and Northern Ireland, this collection of essays examines how truth commissions and courts have dealt with victims, relatives and perpetrators and how the mechanisms have interacted at a practical level. The contribution of these differing approaches to the overall aim of national reconciliation is also assessed. With the growing engagement of the international community in transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction, Truth Commissions and Courts promises to be of enduring interest to scholars and practitioners alike.

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9789048168187

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William A. Schabas is Professor of Human Rights Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. His numerous publications include Genocide in International Law (2000), The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law (third edition, 2003) and An Introduction to the International Criminal Court (second edition, 2004). He served as an international commissioner on the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Shane Darcy is a research associate at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway, from where he holds an LL.M in International Human Rights Law. He is the author of several journal articles and is currently Managing Editor of Criminal Law Forum.

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