What is Transitional Justice?
"Transitional justice refers to the ways countries emerging from periods of conflict and repression address large-scale or systematic human rights violations so numerous and so serious that the normal justice system will not be able to provide an adequate response."
- International Center for Transitional Justice
- International Center for Transitional Justice
Transitional Justice provides an avenue for countries, such as North Korea, that have experienced extreme abuses of human rights to appropriately address these violations, prosecute those responsible, institute reforms to prevent future violations, and provide reparations to and care for victims of these atrocities. It is a victim centered technique that promotes human dignity and helps societies transition from violent, oppressive regimes to stability by rebuilding trust and appropriately addressing human rights violations.
North Korea: A Human Rights Centric Approach
"U.S. Policy Toward North Korea: The Case for Instituting a More Effective, Human Rights-Centric Approach"
Oct. 27, 2015 at Johns Hopkins-SAIS, Washington, DC
Panel III: Accountability for Human Rights Violations
Moderator: Roberta Cohen: Non Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK)
Speakers:
Oct. 27, 2015 at Johns Hopkins-SAIS, Washington, DC
Panel III: Accountability for Human Rights Violations
Moderator: Roberta Cohen: Non Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK)
Speakers:
- Param-Preet Singh: Senior Counsel, Human Rights Watch, International Justice Program
- David Scheffer: Director, Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law
- Morse Tan: Associate Professor of Law, Northern Illinois University College of Law
- David Tolbert: President, International Center for Transitional Justice
Recommended Reading
North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises: Narrative and Constructive Engagement by Professor Morse Tan
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has a reputation as one of the worst human rights situations in the world. This book utilizes a unique international law perspective to examine the actions and inactions of North Korea with regard to international security and human rights.
Adopting political, military, historical and legal perspectives, the book explores how the two issues of nuclear weapons and the human rights abuses in North Korea are interconnected, and why the international community should apply the same international law framework to find a solution for both. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, such as refugee and defector testimony, Morse Tan offers a real-life story of North Korea that covers the pertinent law, and constructive approaches of its regime. Tan examines the specific objectives and actions of the North Korean government, and measures these according to international legal obligations such as applicable treaty law, jus cogens norms, and customary international law. The book concludes by offering solutions for dealing with international security surrounding the Korean Peninsula, and forwards a proposal for the creation of a tribunal to prosecute those at the top of the regime for international crimes and human rights abuses. As a project exploring the extremes of international law violation, this book will be of great interest and use to readers interested in the history, and political and legal implications of the strategies employed by the North Korea government. |