“This is a timely and worthy contribution to the quest for peaceful settlements of conflict and a return to societies governed by the rule of law.“ - Mary Burton, commissioner on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine?
In view of the war in Ukraine, the question of how to deal justly with human rights violations is being raised with new urgency: how can reconciliation be achieved afterall the crimes, what would be a path to justice?
The South African Truth Commission at the end of the 1990s showed that It is possible to respond to violent conflicts without only thinking about the highest possible penalties.
In her essay, Clivia von Dewitz outlines how a peace commission could be established that focuses on clarifying what happened, does not disadvantage any of the nations involved and could therefore make a significant contribution to peace and reconciliation.
History teaches us that only those who face up to their criminal past and deal with it have achance of preventing it from happening again in the future