Truth,
Justice and Reconciliation: Re-imagining Human Right in Post-Conflict
Peacebuilding
Abstract
There
is an assumed tension between human rights and peacebuilding. Although human
rights advocates and conflict resolution specialists share the common aim of
building stable societies based on the rule of law, they often disagree on
method. Conflict resolvers are characterized as willing to compromise rights
and ignore abuses in order to secure political agreement. Human rights
advocates, on the other hand, are seen as idealistic and uncompromising in
seeking redress for violations, even at the cost of prolonging conflict and
human suffering. This tension between the principles of human rights and
the pragmatics of peacebuilding is most evident in the work of national
Truth and Reconciliation Commissions established in post-conflict societies.
Since the establishment of the South African TRC in 1994, there has been a
proliferation of TRCs as a mechanism of transitional justice. Charged with
uncovering the truth about abuses, providing justice to victims and fostering
national reconciliation, most TRCs have taken up human rights and peacebuilding
tasks. How have TRCs sought to balance their human rights and peacebuilding
mandates? Focusing on the work of TRCs in four post-conflict countries – South
Africa, Rwanda, Peru and Morocco - this paper explores the relationship between
human rights, justice and national reconciliation. It makes the case for a
pragmatic yet principled model of Truth and Reconciliation that integrates
human rights and conflict-prevention strategies.
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