Past Event January 01, 1970

“Revealing Truth, Reclaiming Justice” Regional Short Course on Transitional Justice

Call for Applications
Revealing Truth, Reclaiming Justice: A Regional Short Course for Transitional Justice Strategies for Asian Contexts
Bali, 1-7 November 2017

Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) is pleased to announce a Short Course on Transitional Justice. This week-long course is designed to learn lessons from the field and affirm key principles and best practice for addressing unjust past. The measures of transitional justice include criminal prosecutions, commissions of inquiry and “truth commissions”, programmes aimed at individual and collective reparation, and institutional reform. In the region, countries such as Aceh (Indonesia), Timor-Leste, Thailand and South Korea have established truth commissions, and other countries and territories have the unrealised promise of a truth commission built into peace agreements or special autonomy settlements, such as in Nepal and Papua (Indonesia). In terms of prosecution of perpetrators of serious crimes, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Indonesia and Bangladesh have conducted trials, with differing outcomes. To date, governments in Thailand, Aceh and Nepal have provided some kind of interim relief for victims but there is yet an example of a comprehensive reparations programme in Asia.

The course includes experiences and lessons learned from other countries, and focuses on how regional human rights mechanisms may contribute or challenge the pursuit of accountability for mass violations. AJAR will also invite experts from the field as resource persons, to share their concrete experiences of working in difficult transitions. The course format includes a combination of lectures, small group discussion, simulations and exchange of practical experiences from the participants. The course is designed to allow for debate and exchange between participants, including sessions dedicated to the sharing of country contexts and developing innovative strategies at local, national, regional and global levels.

One of the goals of this annual course is to produce a larger, more effective group of Asian experts in transitional justice and other challenges commonly faced in transitional settings. The course aims to provide participants with a firm grounding in the basics of transitional justice and to understand the challenges, options, and implications of different approaches to the justice. It is recognised that increasing expertise and knowledge in Asia can be a bridge for further innovations and achievements in building contextual transitional justice frameworks and strategies through policy change, cross-regional collaboration, and human rights initiatives.

For more information on the regional short course, including key themes, registration fee, logistics and contact information, click here