The Kenyan TJRC

The Kenyan TJRC
Author: Ronald Slye
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2018-07-19
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1108422039

Takes a behind the scenes look at the debates and decisions of the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.

The Kenyan TJRC

The Kenyan TJRC
Author: Ronald C. Slye
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2018-07-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108386520

Between 1963 and 2008 Kenya experienced systematic atrocities, economic crimes, ethnic violence, and the illegal taking of land. To come to terms with these historical injustices and gross violations of human rights, the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) was established. From the perspective of an insider and academic expert, The Kenyan TJRC: An Outsider's View from the Inside reveals for the first time the debates and decisions made within the Commission, including how the Kenyan Commission became the first such commission to recommend that its Chair be prosecuted for gross violations of human rights. This book is one of the few insider accounts of a truth commission, and one of the few that reflects on the limitations and opportunities of such a commission. The Kenyan TJRC provides lessons and recommendations to those interested in addressing historical injustices through a truth commission process. The full copy of the Final Report of the Kenyan TJRC, along with other supporting documents, can be found at the following site: https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/tjrc/

The Limits of Transition: The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission 20 Years on

The Limits of Transition: The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission 20 Years on
Author: Mia Swart
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2017-08-28
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9004339566

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a noble attempt to begin to address the continuing traumatic legacy of Apartheid. This interdisciplinary collection critiques the work of the TRC 20 years since its establishment. Taking the paralysing political and social crises of the mid-1990s in South Africa as starting point, the book contains a collection of responses to the TRC that considers the notions of crisis, judgment and social justice. It asks whether the current political and social crises in South Africa are linked to the country’s post-apartheid transitional mechanisms, specifically, the TRC. The fact that the material conditions of the lives of many Apartheid victims have not improved, forms a major theme of the book. Collectively, the book considers the ‘unfinished business’ of the TRC.

When Political Transitions Work

When Political Transitions Work
Author: Fanie du Toit
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2018-07-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0190881879

The peaceful end of apartheid in South Africa was a monumental event in late twentieth century history. A racist regime built upon a foundation of colonialist exploitation, South Africa had become by that point a tinderbox: suffused with day-to-day violence and political extremism on all sides. Yet two decades later it was a stable democracy with a growing economy. How did such a deeply divided, conflicted society manage this remarkable transition? In When Political Transitions Work, Fanie du Toit, who has been a participant and close observer in post-conflict developments throughout Africa for decades, offers a new theory for why South Africa's reconciliation worked and why its lessons remain relevant for other nations emerging from civil conflicts. He uses reconciliation as a framework for political transition and seeks to answer three key questions: how do the reconciliation processes begin; how can political transitions result in inclusive and fair institutional change; and to what extent does reconciliation change the way a society functions? Looking at South Africa, one of reconciliation's most celebrated cases, du Toit shows that the key ingredient to successful reconciliations is acknowledging the centrality of relationships. He further develops his own theoretical approach to reconciliation-as-interdependence-the idea that reconciliation is the result of an integrated process of courageous leadership, fair and inclusive institutions, and social change built toward a mutual goal of prosperity. As du Toit conveys, the motivation for reconciliation is the long-term well-being of one's own community, as well as that of enemy groups. Without ensuring the conditions in which one's enemy can flourish, one's own community is unlikely to prosper sustainably.

Reparations for Victims of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

Reparations for Victims of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
Author: Carla Ferstman
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 585
Release: 2009
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9004174494

This book provides detailed analyses of systems that have been established to provide reparations to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and the way in which these systems have worked and are working in practice. Many of these systems are described and assessed for the first time in an academic publication. The publication draws upon a groundbreaking Conference organised by the Clemens Nathan Research Centre (CNRC) and REDRESS at the Peace Palace in The Hague, with the support of the Dutch Carnegie Foundation. Both CNRC and REDRESS had become very concerned about the extreme difficulty encountered by most victims of serious international crimes in attempting to access effective and enforceable remedies and reparation for harm suffered. In discussions between the Conference organisers and Judges and officials of the International Criminal Court, it became ever more apparent that there was a great need for frank and open exchanges on the question of effective reparation, between the representatives of victims, of NGOs and IGOs, and other experts. It was clear to all that the many current initiatives of governments and regional and international institutions to afford reparations to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes could benefit greatly by taking into full account the wide and varied practice that had been built up over several decades. In particular, the Hague Conference sought to consider in detail the long experience of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany (the Claims Conference) in respect of Holocaust restitution programmes, as well as the practice of truth commissions, arbitral proceedings and a variety of national processes to identify common trends, best practices and lessons. This book thus explores the actions of governments, as well as of national and international courts and commissions in applying, processing, implementing and enforcing a variety of reparations schemes and awards. Crucially, it considers the entire complex of issues from the perspective of the beneficiaries - survivors and their communities - and from the perspective of the policy-makers and implementers tasked with resolving technical and procedural challenges in bringing to fruition adequate, effective and meaningful reparations in the context of mass victimisation.

Where Law Meets Reality

Where Law Meets Reality
Author: Moses Chrispus Okello
Publisher: Fahamu/Pambazuka
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2012-07-05
Genre: Law
ISBN: 085749094X

Considering the core debates about how to develop a transitional justice agenda that best responds to the African context, this book addresses the tension between justice, peace and reconciliation.

"They Just Want to Silence Us"

Author: Otsieno Namwaya
Publisher:
Total Pages: 69
Release: 2018
Genre: Economic development projects
ISBN: 9781623136888

"This report describes the context for activism around the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor project (LAPSSET) and associated development projects, and documents the obstacles activists face in speaking out publicly about their concerns. At least 35 activists campaigning against the region's mega infrastructure and transport projects have faced threats, beatings, arbitrary arrests, and detentions."--Publisher website, viewed December 26, 2018.