The Shallow and Deep Ends of Transitional Justice- The SJAC Weekly Update
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7/31/13 10:57 AM The Shallow and Deep Ends of Transitional Justice- The SJAC Weekly Update Page 1 of 2 http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=60569b6d523ba80f46a288a64&id=80dd496eb6&e=d22ed61cbd The SJAC Weekly Update- July 30, 2013 The Shallow and Deep Ends ofTransitional Justice At the outset of 2013, the SJAC commented on the need to keep up the momentum of transitional justice efforts in Syria. We wrote that “talking about transitional justice in the future is good, but it is the concrete efforts that Syrians are making today to document and disseminate information that will drive the success of transitional justice enterprises.” Now, six months on, it’s clear that such efforts are indeed progressing. Not only is the lip- service paid to transitional jus tice on the rise, but Syria is also witnessing the more meaningful establishment of organizations devoted to various aspects of transitional justice. These developments are worthy ofrecognition, but also invite a sober assessm ent of the work yet to be done. A useful window into the current environment is an article by Amnesty International’s Kristyan Benedict, titled “ Lessons in the Laws of War - A New Syrian Group takes on the Challenge.” The piece sheds light on a new organization, the Syrian Legal Development Programme, which was established to “promote the non-state armed groups' understanding of the International Humanitarian Law through on-going training.” Benedict’s article is worth a read, not only for details on the still young SLDP, but forthe context it provides on accountability efforts, obstacles, and opportunities for Syrian-led human rights work.. There’s no shortage of examples demonstrating the rise of transitional justice work. Several transitional justi ce offices, for instance, have been recently established by rebels and other local groups. The Hamza Brigade has established a new office of transitional justice in Tabqa, and the Sharia Court of Tel Abyad also has a transitional justice office, as does the Local Council of Deir Ezzoor. But many groups are having only limited success putting those principals into practice. Some offices, comments SJAC data analyst Husam AlKatlaby, do not always reflect Briefing: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Investigations On Thursday, the Syrian Commission for Justice and Accountability (SCJA) will host a briefing on the war crimes and crimes against humanity investigations in Syria from November 2011 to the present. Topics will include the origins of the programme, objectives, modus operandi, and international cooperation. The SJAC's Resources Page The SJAC is constantly adding resources to its website on transitional justice and documentation. Visit the website and browse ourreports. RSS Translate
