Research area chair: Clara Sandoval & Geoff Gilbert, Law and Human Rights Centre

The analysis of the various justice mechanisms and non-judicial responses to mass violations of human rights is at the essence of any integrated approach to transitional justice.

Some of the societies in transition have formulated their own judicial responses and informal mechanisms to grave human rights violations, which they claim reflect the values of their own societies. In addition, some countries in transition respond with parallel mechanisms to deal with their past using their own domestic justice system and the international community would, in some cases, respond through international justice mechanisms of international justice in the form of international or regional tribunals. More important, however, is to understand how all these responses interact, their adequacy and their effectiveness.