Reconciliation

Abstract

THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION (CVR) and human rights trials were only two of the mechanisms of transitional justice moving forward in Peru in the decade after the fall of Fujimori. A number of other processes were under way throughout the country. These promised to address victims directly by officially recognizing their status as victims and giving them individual and collective reparations, in both material and symbolic forms. While the CVR and human rights trials are examples of “backward looking” justice, reparations promise “forward looking” justice; that is, by addressing the needs of victims in the present, the root causes of violence can be ameliorated in such a way as to promote a more peaceful and just future. As opposed to “retributive justice” (as in trials), reparations are considered a tool of “restorative justice.” In Peru, advocates of reparations saw them as serving multiple ends, including recognizing victims, acknowledging the state’s failure to protect or respect their rights, compensating victims so as to support their recovery, and reestablishing civic trust. From the perspective of the CVR, along with truth and justice, reparations would promote a closing of the breach between the “two Perus” that remained deeply divided and thereby create a new “social pact” between all citizens and the state.