Conference-Transitional-Justice-Program

Conference Transitional Justice
30-31 July 2015
Disillusions and Accomplishments:
How Transitional Justice Changes Societies
ORA project funded by NWO & ESRC on ‘The Impact of Transitional
Justice Measures on Democractic Institutions Building

Description
Practical information
Date: 30-31 July 2015
This workshop engages the central thematic of the ORA-NWO Project on ‘The Impact
of Transitional Justice Measures on Democratic Institution-building’; namely the challenges
of transitional justice (TJ) in providing accountability for past abuses and building
a new, stable democratic state. The demands of TJ are both retrospective and prospective,
creating different expectations across wide-ranging contexts. The study of
TJ requires interdisciplinary dialogue that can respond to the criticisms for its lack of
consensus in the use of concepts, methods, and variables of measurement and impact
of TJ.
The dissimilar uses of these tools for analysis make it difficult to assess whether TJ
actually helps to establishing a minimum of stability for the forthcoming democracy.
Thus, the aim of this workshop is to facilitate dialogue among scholars engaged
in the study of TJ from different perspectives and fields of expertise. The workshop
questions the alleged role of transitional justice in achieving promises of peaceful
and democratic futures for societies that have suffered oppressive rule. The papers
explore multiple ways in which TJ has been related to democracy in a comparative
perspective and following in depth case research studies.
Begin: 14:00, Thurs 30 July 2015
End: 14:00 Fri 30 July 2015
Venue: Raadzaal, Achter Sint Pieter 200,
3512 HT Utrecht, The Netherlands
Utrecht University, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM)
+31 30 253 8033
www.uu.nl/sim
www.tjdi.org
Registration
Please send an email to Charlie Panhuyzen C.L.Panhuyzen@uu.nl.
Organisation
Sandra Rios Oyola & Anja Mihr (Utrecht University)
ORA project funded by NWO and ESRC on ‘The Impact of Transitional Justice Measures
on Democratic Institutions Building www.tjdi.org.
The Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) www.uu.nl/sim.
Getting there:
By train: you can take a direct train to Utrecht Central Station from almost every train
station in the Netherlands.
By bus: from Utrecht Central Station take a bus at the center side to Janskerkhof (bus
no. 2, 5, 8, 28, 51, 52, 55, 74, 77).
It is a 10-minute walk from the trainstation.
By car: you can park in the center of town or opt for a cheaper P+R park and take public
transport to Janskerkhof, check this webiste for more information on parking .

Program
30 July 2015
2:00-2:30 Introduction
2:30-4:00 Panel 1
4:00-4:15 Break
4:15-5:15 Panel 2
Anja Mihr (TJDI principal investigator, Utrecht University), Antoine Buyse
(Director of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights –SIM, Utrecht Uni
versity), and Sandra Rios Oyola (TJDI postdoctoral research fellow,
Utrecht University).
Roddy Brett – Lina Malagon (University of St. Andrews / University of Ox
ford): ‘“To Desist is not an Option”: The Role of Victims’ Delegations in
the Santos-FARC Peace Talks’
Amaia Alvarez (Ulster University): ‘Exploring intra-democratic transitions:
the definition of victim in Northern Ireland and the Basque country’.
Juan Pablo Pérez-León Acevedo (Åbo Akademi University, Institute for
Human Rights):‘Victims of Serious Human Rights Violations, International
Courts that Issue Reparations Orders as Transitional Justice Mechanisms
and Democracy’
Anita Ferrara (Center for Transitional Justice and Development): ‘Truth
Commissions as Means of Ethical and Institutional Transformation’
Stefanie Lemke (Utrecht University): ‘Transitional Justice and Judicial
Independence’
Program
31 July 2015
9:00-11:00 Panel 3
11:00-11:20 Break
Caterina Bonora (Bremen International Graduate School of Social
Sciences): ‘Creating an open space or an exclusive club? Evaluating the
inclusiveness of bottom-up approaches to transitional justice’
Aviezer Tucker (Davis center, Harvard associate): ‘Post-Communist
Transitional Justice and Rule of Law, 25 years later’
Sandra Rios Oyola (Utrecht University): ‘How TJ mechanisms promote
civic engagement and Democratic Institution-building’
Elisabeth Bunselmeyer (German Institute of Global and Area Studies):
‘Transitional Justice and Social Cohesion in Postwar Societies. The Case
of Peru’
11:20-12:50 Philipp Schulz (Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University):
‘Evaluating the Impact of Transitional Justice: Quasi-Experimental Re
search Designs and Structured Focused Comparisons as Tools for
Assessing the Impact of Transitional Justice Instruments’
Valerie Arnould (TJDI project / Egmont Institute). ‘Assessing transitional
justice impact: exploring pathways of impact‘
Lukas van de Berge (Utrecht University): ‘The Right and the Good in
Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Yael Farber’s Molora: Transitional Justice
between Deontology and Teleology
5:15-6:00 Reception
12:50-1:20 Conclusions

Colophon:
Pictures by Eric de
Redelijkheid, prodigaldog,
Davidlohr
Bueso, Jens Aarstein
Holm, Helen Harrop
and United Nations
Photo.
A Production by the ORA-NWO Project and the SIM