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International Human Rights Institutions, Tribunals, and Courts pp 1–21Cite as

Transitional Justice for Human Rights: The Legacy and Future of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

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Part of the book series: International Human Rights ((IHR))

Abstract

Truth commissions are an integral component of transitional justice, that is, formal and informal mechanisms set up by the state or civil society to address human rights violations committed in the past. This chapter examines the claims related to how truth commissions may contribute to peace, democracy, and reconciliation and takes stock of the legacy of truth commissions by examining the impact literature related to these three chief objectives. Finally, the chapter offers some reflections on the potential importance of truth commissions in the future.

This chapter draws on previous work on truth commissions published in Skaar 2013; Skaar et al. 2015, 2016a.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Bergen, Norway

    Elin Skaar

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  1. Elin Skaar
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Correspondence to Elin Skaar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst für Völkerreicht & Int'l Beziehung, Karl Franzens Universität Graz Inst für Völkerreicht & Int'l Beziehung, Graz, Austria

    Gerd Oberleitner

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Skaar, E. (2018). Transitional Justice for Human Rights: The Legacy and Future of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. In: Oberleitner, G. (eds) International Human Rights Institutions, Tribunals, and Courts. International Human Rights. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4516-5_15-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4516-5_15-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-4516-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-4516-5

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