ICTJ ICTJ World Report
May 2016

In Focus

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ICTJ Partners Victims, Civil Society and Officials on Transitional Justice in Great Lakes RegionICTJ Partners Victims, Civil Society and Officials on Transitional Justice in Great Lakes RegionCivil society leaders, members of victims’ groups and state officials throughout the Great Lakes region will convene in Kampala, Uganda next week at a conference hosted by ICTJ. Attendees will share their experiences working for redress in their communities and discuss what strategies have proven effective at the local level.

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World Report

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AFRICAIn Ethiopia, African officials gathered for a two-day conference aimed at discussing and reflecting upon truth commissions and peace processes. In Burundi, crisis talks were postponed in order to allow for further consultations with stakeholders. Reports have found that torture and illegal detention are on the rise in Burundi, and the ICC will begin investigating potential war crimes in the country. In Kenya, three opposition supporters were shot dead in protests demanding reforms to the country’s electoral authority. In Rwanda, the remains of hundreds of genocide victims were buried in Ruhango. The country’s leaders have called on the new UN prosecutor to urge countries hosting genocide suspects to allow them to face justice. In South Sudan, opposition leader Riek Machar was sworn in as vice president, signaling a major breakthrough toward peace for the nation. The UN has expressed concern over human rights abuses in Mozambique, a country that continues to face violent clashes between national security forces and the rebel group Renamo. In The Democratic Republic of Congo, former warlord Germaine Katanga is back on trial, accused of committing crimes against humanity. In Cote d’Ivoire, Lawrence Gbagbo’s trial resumed this month, with the former Ivorian President facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. His wife, who is accused of playing a role in the post-election crisis of 2011, is set to go on trial at the end of the month.

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AMERICASIn Colombia, peace talks have continued, with one of FARC’s most feared commanders joining the process. The negotiating parties agreed to release FARC child soldiers, while the government vowed to grant victim status to those under 15 years of age and provide a pardon for those between 16 and 18. AGuatemala congressman has been found to have ties to a death squad responsible for murders, torture, and disappearances during the country’s civil war. In Peru, former dictator Alberto Fujimori’s final appeal was rejected, meaning Fujimori will serve his sentence of 25 years for ordering massacres in the Barrios Altos neighborhood of Lima. In Mexico, the inquiry into 43 missing students ended, despite the UN rights office urging the Mexican government to follow its recommendations for the case. A panel of international experts looking into the case said the Mexican government hampered its efforts. In Argentina, former head of the air force Brigadier Omar Graffigna went on trial for his alleged role in the forcible disappearances of over 30,000 people during the country’s military rule from 1976 to 1983.

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ASIAIn Nepal, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began registering complaints from victims and their families. However, the government has failed to enact laws that would allow for the effective functioning of the TRC and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons, another transitional justice body. In Indonesia, a two-day symposium was held to discuss the anti-communist atrocities that occurred in the country decades ago. The atrocities will finally be investigated, with activists calling for full recognition from the government, as well as protection for the sites and witnesses of the 1965-66 killings. In Sri Lanka, torture remains ‘in frequent use,’ according to UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment. Tamil diaspora groups in the U.S. have demanded the arrest of Gotabaya Rajapaska, former Lankan defense secretary, for the large scale killing of Tamils. In Bangladesh, a probe has begun against Osman Farooq over his alleged role in war crimes in the Liberation War, and two Razakar suspects of Kishoreganj have been indicted on war crimes charges.

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EUROPEA court in Kosovo cleared General Milovan Bojovic of war crimes charges due to lack of evidence. Azra Basic, a woman living in Kentucky, was recently extradited to Bosnia to face charges of murder and torture, war crimes which she allegedly committed over twenty years ago during Bosnia’s civil war.Spain has authorized exhumations from the Valley of the Fallen, a large mausoleum that contains the remains of those who died during the country’s civil war, so that family members may give their relatives proper funerals. Serbia has promised to intensify its war prosecutions, releasing a 415-page action plan to address unprosecuted war crimes and enact judicial reforms.

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MENAIn Tunisia, the “Transitional Justice is also for Women” network, in coordination with ICTJ, submittedthe first collective file to the Tunisian Truth and Dignity Commission. The file was compiled by 10 women associations and detailed discrimination committed against veiled women under “circular 108,” which prohibited their access to work and education. The Islamist Ennahda party declared in its 10th congress that it will separate its religious activities from political ones, saying in a statement that there is “no longer justification for political Islam” in the country post Arab spring. The Tunisian Torture Prevention Organization said that it received 250 complaints of torture in 2015 and is convinced that torture practices persist in Tunisian prisons and during interrogations. Peace talks in Syria stalled when opposition negotiators decided to withhold their participation in the process due to unwillingness on behalf of President Assad’s officials to discuss a transitional government in Damascus. In Egypt 152 people who took part in a street protest last month were sentenced to prison, in a sharp escalation of a campaign by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to suppress political dissent in the country.Yemen’s peace process faced challenges when delegates representing Houthi rebels refused to attend peace talks late last month. Libya’s new unity government has started moving into ministry buildings, but the volatile security situation in the area remains a concern.

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Publications

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Learning From Our Past: An Exploration of Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation in KenyaThis educational tool for educators and mentors is designed to help teach young people in Kenya about difficult periods in Kenyan history and foster discussion on issues of justice, democracy, leadership, and their role as Kenyan citizens.

From Principles to Practice: Challenges of Implementing Reparations for Massive Violations in ColombiaThis report examines Colombia’s Victims and Land Restitution Law (2011), which provides comprehensive reparations to conflict victims and restitution to victims of forced displacement who rely on land for their livelihoods – and assesses the challenges of implementing the law under current conditions, which include widespread poverty and ongoing violence.

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Author: Impunity Watch Archive