CJA pursues an innovative transitional justice strategy that integrates the best practices in the fields of transitional justice, international human rights litigation, international criminal investigation and litigation, rule of law, and the broader human rights movement.
Rooted in our deep experience pursuing survivor centered transnational litigation, CJA pursues transitional justice initiatives that empower survivor communities and local practitioners to prosecute atrocity criminals in the countries where these crimes were committed or to lay the groundwork for future accountability.
Transitional justice refers to the range of approaches societies take as they move from periods of armed conflict or repression toward rule of law and respect for human rights. Achieving such a transformation practically and morally requires special attention to the voices of victims and survivors, especially those who belong to marginalized groups, such as women, children, and religious, sexual, or ethnic minorities.
Although each transitional setting is unique, transitional justice is often thought to consist of four elements:
- Justice – holding those most responsible for abuses legally accountable;
- Truth – giving survivors a full accounting and acknowledgement of the abuses that occurred;
- Reparation – providing material and moral reparations to survivors;
- Non-Recurrence – reforming state institutions and strengthening civil society to ensure that the pattern of human rights abuse is not repeated.
CJA contributes to transitional justice in two registers: First, we directly represent victims and survivors seeking justice, truth, and reparation in litigation. Second, we develop creative, strategic, and nimble initiatives designed to assist local practitioners striving for non-recurrence of these crimes through holding human rights criminals accountable in the countries where their crimes were committed, or in laying the groundwork for future accountability.
