Communicating Justice

According to the organisers, transitional justice refers to the range of approaches that states may use to address past human rights abuse, and media is part of the process to facilitate public understanding and engagement. The project has three broad strands that are being implemented in each of the five project countries:

• population surveys of knowledge and attitudes toward transitional justice (TJ) issues;
• in-country training of journalists, as well as activities designed to engage the support of their managers or editors; and
• follow-up activities via online learning, internet, and local mentoring.

The population surveys will aim to assess perceptions of transitional justice and the way it is covered by local media. Follow up surveys will be conducted to help measure the impact of the project.

During the two year project, the BBC Trust and ICTJ are providing face-to-face and online training to 10 editors and 20 journalists from each of the five countries. Journalists trained during the project are then meant to act as mentors to peer groups in their own countries in the future.

Print and broadcast materials that address transitional justice issues and stimulate debate are being produced. These materials, research reports and stories from training participants will be available locally and worldwide, and are also found on the Communicating Justice website.

Conflict, Democracy and Governance, Rights.

According to the organisers, countries emerging from conflict are turning to transitional justice processes as a way of trying to come to terms with a violent past. These mechanisms include criminal prosecutions, reparations, truth-seeking and institutional reforms. In each of the five target countries, some form of transitional justice is planned or already underway. This transitional justice project is primarily funded by the European Union and the Dutch government, with additional funds from Humanity United.

ICTJ assists countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuse. The Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in established democracies where historical injustices or systemic abuse remain unresolved.