News Experts say reparations crucial for transitional justice success
December 7, 2024
A recent discussion on the Transitional Justice process saw calls for reparations, which advocates say is a crucial pillar of the initiative in line with the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP).
The call came during a seminar organized by the Advocacy Center for Democracy and Development with the theme “Advocacy and Policy Brief Validation on African Union Transitional Justice Policy and Transitional Justice Initiatives in Ethiopia.”
The workshop explored avenues for the practical implementation of TJ measures and contrasted Ethiopia’s progress with standards under the AUTJP to pinpoint gaps. The event brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Justice, AU Transitional Justice specialists, civil society actors, and other experts.
The workshop emphasized Ethiopia’s efforts to incorporate reparative measures aimed at restoring victims’ dignity. Participants also stressed the importance of adopting best practices from the AU policy while tailoring the process to Ethiopia’s context and fostering community involvement.
However, experts noted that, unlike the AUTJP, the Ethiopian policy lacks explicit provisions that clearly define and ensure the role of victims in the process.
Nonetheless, they emphasized that the two policies are aligned in their guiding principles, with both adopting a comprehensive approach to transitional justice that is contextualized and rooted in the values, culture, and indigenous knowledge of the society.
“Both policies are comprehensive by their nature”, said Samrawit Tassew, a consultant.. According to Samrawit, the policies incorporate the five pillars of the transitional justice process, which are truth-seeking, reconciliation, reparation, criminal accountability, and institutional reform.
Samrawit noted that incorporating and harmonizing these pillars in the process is expected to bring about a sustainable and long-lasting process.
She identified reparation as the most significant pillar, particularly in addressing victims’ needs. She noted that both processes fully align on the reparation process as a central element, recognizing the importance of quick and immediate reparations.
“Both policies outline that victims do not have to wait for the lengthy process to conclude in order to benefit while society moves toward transformational justice,” she said, emphasizing that the policies affirm victims’ right to reparation.
According to her, the AUTJP places special emphasis on key elements such as the establishment of a victims’ fund and resource mobilization for reparations. She highlighted that these elements are essential for ensuring lasting and transformative reparation processes, emphasizing that reparations should extend beyond individuals and communities, addressing the needs of future generations.
“The Ethiopian policy framework and its implementation should draw lessons from historical precedents and be carried out in a manner that avoids direct contestation,” said Samrawit.
She also noted that the full execution of the Pretoria Agreement and the return of internal displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes is one component of the broader transitional justice process.
“Sustainable peace is not a prerequisite for initiating transitional justice or the National Dialogue,” said Samrawit. “There doesn’t need to be peace to start the transitional justice process. Everything has to start somewhere.”
The AUTJP, adopted in February 2019, provides a framework to guide member states in addressing the aftermath of conflicts and systemic human rights violations. Similarly, Ethiopia’s transitional justice initiatives, launched amid internal conflict crises, aim to integrate reparations alongside truth-seeking, accountability, and institutional reform efforts.