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SUMMARY:Transition and Justice in Sierra Leone and Liberia - Gerhard Ander
 s\, University of Edinburgh
DTSTART:20131118T170000Z
DTEND:20131118T180000Z
UID:TALK48366@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Judith Weik
DESCRIPTION:In sub-Sahara Africa\, recent debates about political new begi
 nnings have often been framed in terms of transitional justice and crimina
 l responsibility. These debates are not limited to truth commissions and i
 nternational criminal tribunals. The problem of new beginning after violen
 t conflict or political oppression has shaped controversies and contestati
 ons in a range of sites including re-education camps for demobilized comba
 tants\, village meetings\, parliaments and domestic courts.\nIn Sierra Leo
 ne and Liberia\, the new beginning after the end of the civil wars has bee
 n a contradictory and contested process. In both countries\, truth commiss
 ions were established to address past injustices. In addition\, in Sierra 
 Leone an international criminal tribunal was set up to hold accountable 
 ‘those bearing greatest responsibility’ for war crimes and crimes agai
 nst humanitarianism. The focus on these institutions\, however\, does not 
 reflect the complete story of the messy new beginnings in Sierra and Liber
 ia. Although not labelled as transitional justice mechanisms\, there have 
 been detentions and trials in the national courts that have to be seen in 
 the context of the debates about how realize more justice and a break with
  the past. My analysis will\, on the one hand\, situate the truth commissi
 ons and the Special Court for Sierra Leone in relation to conflicts and ne
 gotiations about the terms of the new beginning and\, on the other\, exami
 ne the detentions and domestic trials in the context of debates about tran
 sition and justice in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
LOCATION:Seminar Room S1 Alison Richard Building\, 7 West Road\, Cambridge
  CB3 9DT
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