Justice After War

On the evening of Sunday the 20th of September we will have a challenging and
provocative plenary called "Justice after War". The perspective will come from
a human rights doctrine: that is, the focus will be based on human rights,
violation of human rights, and policies required to overcome - if that is ever
possible - human rights abuses. We must keep in mind that human rights work
requires creativity and is a constant challenge to the imagination, as it is a
very new field. We must also be careful not to be discouraged and deceived by
the fact that there are so few visible improvements.

As this Triennial takes place where war has been a concrete reality, this
session is designed to offer opportunities for inspiration as participants
listen to the stories and perspectives of the resource people. These resource
people come from different places, backgrounds, and professions - and have
taken part in different political positioning and actions during war and
immediately afterwards. They are: an activist from Serbia, an ombudsman from
Bosnia, and a political scientist from Croatia. They will be presenting their
visions, with a concentration on three key issues that should help them - as
well as the participants - to establish common ground, as well as areas of
difference.

1. Setting of the historical situation that produced war.

2. Kind of work done during war to protect human rights.

3. Basic steps to be achieved in working towards justice in each country.

After a 10-15 minute presentation, we will have three respondents. They will
comment on the expositions from the perspectives of their work experience in
Truth Commissions in other countries. They will focus their comments on three
questions:

1. What made it possible in their countries to set up a Truth Commission?

2. What are the main achievements of these Commissions?.

3. What are the big pending issues with regard to justice after the
Commission's work?

The respondents will also have 10-15 minutes to express their ideas. Then there
will be about 30 minutes for an open debate, in which participants will be
encouraged to take an active role.

This plenary will highlight the achievements, problems and challenges of the
work that can lead towards reconciliation.