ABSTRACT

Reconciliation and justice are evocative and multi-faceted concepts, whose definition is difficult to capture in a formula. In the context of war or political violence resulting in mass atrocities, reconciliation often represents a bridge between the past and the future of the affected communities, and is usually linked to justice and peace.2 If justice and peace are mutually reinforcing when pursued together, there is also a belief that prosecution and criminal trials can contribute to reconciliation through the process of retributive justice, and that justice is thus a precondition for reconciliation.3 Whether justice after mass atrocities can lead to peace and reconciliation is a contentious issue that has attracted much debate and different schools of thought.4