Stanford Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law’s Post

ADC Statement on Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Washington, DC www.adc.org The U.S.-led ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon showcases the government's ability to influence peace agreements when the political will exists. This begs the question: why hasn't the Biden Administration applied the same pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza? Israel's wars in Lebanon and Palestine demand permanent and decisive action, not futile, temporary ceasefire negotiations that have led to nothing except the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. President Biden remains blind to the reality that war is a losing strategy. The pursuit of "absolute victory" is a delusion that sustains cycles of violence and fuels the destruction of entire populations, as seen in Gaza. The international community has been clear: the entire world wants a permanent ceasefire both in Lebanon and Palestine, as anything less perpetuates an on-going genocide, ethnic cleansing, occupation, mass starvation, and desecration of holy sites that define Israel's wars. The people of Lebanon and Palestine both deserve peace—not conditioned, temporary truces, but an enduring commitment to justice, human dignity, and the right to live free from violence and oppression. While the 60-day ceasefire in Lebanon offers a temporary reprieve, it fails to address underlying issues that fuel Israels ongoing actions. In fact, how can sustained peace be possible when Israeli airstrikes continued decimating Beirut as ceasefire negotiations were ongoing, and Gaza is continuing to get bombed as of this morning. The ADC is concerned about the implementation of the ceasefire and respect for Lebanon's sovereignty. Unrelenting war perpetuates suffering and instability, and we reaffirm our demand for a permanent ceasefire in both Lebanon and Palestine. The first steps in securing an end to the genocide and wars is the ending of all military aid to Israel, and the enforcement of the enforcement of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. Today, and always, the ADC remains committed to its values of advocating for an end of U.S. military assistance around the world, as history and the present day continue to prove its devastating impacts on targeted populations.   American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the U.S., founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC’s mission is to defend & promote human rights, civil rights, & liberties of at least 3.7 million Arab Americans residing in the United States. Through its work, ADC fights discrimination in the U.S., enhances public understanding of Arab history and culture, and partners with marginalized communities globally to advance social justice. Support ADC American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) 910 17th Street NW, Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20006 United States

Recently, I took part in a discussion on transitional justice, as part of the efforts to confront revisionist politics closely aligned with right-wing and chauvinist political movements. Montenegro represents a country with a never-ending socio-political transition marked by the re-production of nomenklatura in the form of political oligopoly. That said, undertaking any form of transitional justice (beyond academic engagement) would not lead to justice or improving the rule of law, as the concept of capture state and stabilitocracy represent major determinants. For post-communist and socialist societies, lustration has been a major type of transitional justice, practiced as a normative and policy tool. Despite playing an important role in democratization efforts, the ECtHR in its reasoning underlined that the lustration loses the appropriateness, legality, and utility over time (Sweeny, 2012 in Horne, 2014). I concluded that we are not in the stage of institutional maturity to conduct an objective assessment of the recent history and we should be focusing on #EU integration process in building democratic, professional and service-orientated public sector. Link 🔗 ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/dAPH_DFq #transitionaljustice #justice #Montenegro #Yugoslavia #EU #WesternBalkans

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), the Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), and the Faculty of Law and Criminology, KU Leuven invite you to a panel discussion “ The challenges and strategic responses for truth and justice in the Asia – Pacific region”. The panel will address critical questions such as: (1) What accounts for the different outcomes of post-conflict peace negotiations or TJ peace processes in Aceh, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka? (2) How will movements for justice and accountability in the region be affected by the wars in Gaza and possibly Ukraine? (3) How have military regimes, dynasties of dictators and fascist populist leaders managed to return or stay in power even after, in some cases, transitions that ended their earlier authoritarian rule? To join the discussion online, please register here: https://lnkd.in/gSxuBmqx

The African Court of Justice and Human Rights holds immense potential for addressing serious crimes and promoting justice across the continent. However, the journey towards full ratification of the Protocol by AU member states faces significant challenges. Key among these are concerns over national sovereignty, political instability, and the potential for political leaders to be held accountable for crimes that could destabilize their hold on power. Additionally, the complexities of aligning national legal frameworks with the Court's mandates and the financial implications of supporting such an institution also pose hurdles. This dialogue is a crucial step towards understanding these obstacles and finding pathways to overcome them. It is through such collaborative efforts that way can be paved for a more just and accountable Africa. Looking forward to joining into the discussion and learning more!

NEW PUBLICATION! "African Union and Transitional Justice: Healing the Past and Restoring Human Dignity" by Prof Tim Murithi, Head of Peacebuilding Interventions at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. In February 2019, the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government formally adopted the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP), which outlines a broad range of processes for addressing the legacies of past violations and mechanisms for building peaceful, inclusive and stable societies. The AU’s adoption of this policy is a unique innovation, as it is the first time in its history that the African continent has enumerated and institutionalised its own approach to addressing the past. Despite the adoption of the AUTJP there is a need for African governments and societies to engage and implement the policy at the national and communal levels. This book discusses a number of case studies and also assesses the role regional economic communities can play in developing regional strategies to advise and guide their member states in promoting stable and democratic societies across the continent. See more: https://rb.gy/3e9ezm

IUS Faculty of Law (FLW) is organizing a lecture "Transitional Justice and Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Case Study of Prijedor". The guest speaker is Prof. Dr. David Pettigrew from the Connecticut Southern State University. Prof. Pettigrew will address the war crimes that had been perpetrated in Prijedor with special emphasis to transitional justice and issues of reconciliation and memorialization in that part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. #iussarajevo #transitionaljustice #casestudy #prijedor #warcrimes #reconciliation #memorialization

🕊️In today's world, #peace seems elusive. 🕊️ 👀Yet, we have a plan. With the support of organizations like World Federalist Movement - Canada, World Citizen Government, and Youth Fusion - Abolition 2000 Youth Network, we're strengthening the #InternationalCourtofJustice. By enhancing the #ICJ's jurisdiction and ability to peacefully resolve international #conflict, we're building a world governed by #LAW not #War. ✊ ➡️Join our movement to #AbolishWar: https://lnkd.in/gsP44TZw #internationallaw #PreventWar #PeaceThroughLaw

In the latest State Department DipNote blog, I describe the inspiring momentum towards justice in West Africa! The progress I observed represents an important step forward on the lengthy but essential journey of transitional justice, one to which the U.S. remains committed. https://lnkd.in/eRUJyMw8

⚖️ Transitional justice: There is not a peace negotiation where it is not invited to the heart of the talks; no exit from an authoritarian regime without it being a part of the political agenda; no major threat nor major contemporary wound that does not have recourse to its practices, principles and dynamics. It is about the search for truth, the need to judge or repair, and the duty to remember. Human societies try to confront past violence and divisions, to overcome them, and to prevent future ones. This is the diverse, changing and ever-evolving field of transitional justice. Learn more in our dedicated section 👉 https://lnkd.in/epF5w6vs

Had the privilege of presenting our research on attitudes towards and the impact of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia at the Fourth School of Transitional Justice in Sarajevo. This remarkable program, organized by the association Pravnik centered on “The Role of Transitional Justice in Restoring Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Post-Conflict Societies.” It brought together a diverse group of participants to explore innovative ideas and approaches for addressing the legacies of mass atrocities. Our presentation was part of ongoing VIDI Project which examines the intersections of transitional justice and the intergenerational transmission of atrocity legacies. This project, led by Barbora Hola NSCR Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) and funded by the NWO (Dutch Research Council), focuses on two distinct case studies: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Czechia. These countries experienced vastly different transitional pathways and approaches to dealing with the legacies of mass violence, providing a unique comparative perspective. The project delves into how justice responses, such as criminal trials and lustrations, impact individuals, families, and communities while influencing future generations. It seeks to uncover how these mechanisms shape the long-term legacies of atrocities and foster understanding across generational divides. See: atrocitylegacies.com We are incredibly grateful to the organizers of the Fourth School of Transitional Justice for creating such a meaningful platform for dialogue Adnan Kadribasic, Almin Skrijelj and Sanjin Hamidičević.