Truth Commissions and Courts: The Tension Between Criminal Justice and the Search for Truth

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In recent years, the two primary vehicles for the pursuit of post-conflict justice have been criminal prosecutions and alternative truth-seeking mechanisms. Although methods differ, the goal of accountability is fundamentally similar, yet more often than not the relationship between truth commissions and courts is viewed as one that is prone to conflict and difficulty. This volume explores the tension between the work of truth commissions and criminal courts in addressing serious human rights abuses in post-conflict situations. Drawing on country examples such as Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Peru, East Timor, Ghana and Northern Ireland, this collection of essays examines how truth commissions and courts have dealt with victims, relatives and perpetrators and how the mechanisms have interacted at a practical level. The contribution of these differing approaches to the overall aim of national reconciliation is also assessed. With the growing engagement of the international community in transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction, Truth Commissions and Courts promises to be of enduring interest to scholars and practitioners alike.