International Law And Transitional Justice

Our team is grateful to Jonathan Worboys, who knowledgeably and eloquently delivered a presentation entitled International Law and Transitional Justice: Introduction, Practice and Future. Jonathan is a visiting tutor at King’s College, London and an independent consultant/advisor specialising in public international law. Since April 2012, he has advised four governments on matters of public international law and multiple non-state actors. In 2012 he was also invited to sit as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, USA.

During his presentation, Jonathan explained that transitional justice is a process of responding to past human rights abuses and violations of international criminal law. He explained that transitional justice aims to ensure justice and accountability, while also promoting reform and reconciliation. Jonathan also outlined, and discussed, the four main transitional justice mechanisms – prosecutions, truth seeking measures, institutional reform and reparations. He explained how these mechanisms have operated in previous instances of state practice and how they are legally implemented.

Jonathan further provided a basic introduction to international criminal law and human rights, explaining the types of violations that transitional justice mechanisms focus on. He also went on to discuss transitional justice’s relationship with international law, focusing on the issue of categorisation. Finally, Jonathan highlighted several areas for future research that academics and practitioners can focus on, drawing lessons learned from his own experiences working on transitional justice issues around the world.