Evaluating Transitional Justice

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone: Theory, History and Evaluation

   • Kirsten Ainley, Rebekka Friedman, Chris Mahony

   Pages 1-18

3. Evaluating the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone

   • Brenda J. Hollis

   Pages 19-34

4. The Truth about the Truth: Insider Reflections on the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission

   • Chris Mahony, Yasmin Sooka

   Pages 35-54

5. Restorative Justice in Sierra Leone: Promises and Limitations

   • Rebekka Friedman

   Pages 55-76

6. A Political Tool? The Politics of Case Selection at the Special Court for Sierra Leone

   • Chris Mahony

   Pages 77-100

7. Comparing Fairness and Due Process in the RUF and CDF cases: Consequences for the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone

   • Wayne Jordash, Matthew R. Crowe

   Pages 101-127

8. Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone: The Contribution of Transitional Justice Mechanisms to Domestic Law Reform

   • Valerie Oosterveld

   Pages 129-151

9. Taylor Is Guilty, Is That All There Is? The Collision of Justice and Politics in the Domestic Arena

   • David Harris, Richard Lappin

   Pages 153-172

10. Harmonizing Customary Justice with the International Rule of Law? Lessons from Post-Conflict Sierra Leone

    • Mohamed Sesay

    Pages 173-195

11. Whose Justice in Sierra Leone? Power, Security and Justice in Post-Conflict Reconstruction

    • Paul Jackson

    Pages 197-215

12. A Pragmatic Pact: Reconciliation and Reintegration in Sierra Leone

    • Kieran Mitton

    Pages 217-240

13. Evaluating the Success of Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone and Beyond

    • Kirsten Ainley

    Pages 241-263

14. The Potential and Politics of Transitional Justice: Interactions between the Global and the Local in Evaluations of Success

    • Kirsten Ainley, Rebekka Friedman, Chris Mahony

    Pages 265-279

15. Back Matter

    Pages 281-293

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This major study examines the successes and failures of the full transitional justice programme in Sierra Leone. It sets out the implications of the Sierra Leonean experience for other post-conflict situations and for the broader project of evaluating transitional justice.

• conflict
• desegregation
• gender
• Peace
• Peacebuilding
• violence

'This book charts the way forward for studies at the boundaries of law and politics. Not only does it present detailed research on the case of Sierra Leone, but it also tackles the somewhat amorphous notion of transitional justice itself, bringing together different and sometimes competing perspectives and presenting a framework for evaluating transitional justice in other contexts. It is essential reading for researchers and practitioners operating in conflict and post-conflict situations.'

James Gow, Professor of International Peace and Security, King's College London

How to evaluate the success of transitional justice? This insightful book sheds needed light on the problem in its contemporary manifestation; offering an interdisciplinary lens that encompasses the range of current global phenomena and adding significantly to our understanding of the comparative law and politics of these questions on the ground.

Ruti Teitel, Ernst C.Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law, New York Law School

This important new volume will be of great interest both to those concerned with evaluating efforts to pursue accountability after conflict in Sierra Leone and also to anyone engaged in broader debates within transitional justice, particularly over the implementation of retributive and restorative policies. Practitioners and scholars alike will find this book highly illuminating.

Chandra Lekha Sriram, Professor of International Law and International Relations, University of East London

'Evaluating Transitional Justice' is a major advance in how we think about transitional justice success and failure in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. The authors provide groundbreaking contextualized analyses of the selection, design and function of TJ measures. This is an indispensable contribution to the transitional justice literature.'

Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme

'Evaluating Transitional Justice' provides no easy answers, but in exposing us to the often contradictory views of its experts, this invaluable book reminds us of how critically important it is to get transitional justice mechanisms right, so that the terrible injustices of the past are not repeated in the future.'

Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; former Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone

'This important new volume will be of great interest both to those concerned with evaluating efforts to pursue accountability after conflict in Sierra Leone and also to anyone engaged in broader debates within transitional justice, particularly over the implementation of retributive and restorative policies. Practitioners and scholars alike will find this book highly illuminating.' Chandra Lekha Sriram, Professor of International Law and International Relations, University of East London

• London School of Economics, UK

  Kirsten Ainley

• King’s College London, UK

  Rebekka Friedman

• Georgetown University Law Center, USA

  Chris Mahony

Matthew R. Crowe, Trinity Chambers, UK David Harris, University of Bradford, UK Brenda J. Hollis, Residual SCSL, The Netherlands Paul Jackson, Political Economist Wayne Jordash QC, Global Rights Compliance, UK Richard Lappin, University of Leuven, Belgium Kieran Mitton, King's College London, UK Valerie Oosterveld, University of Western Ontario, Canada Mohamed Sesay, McGill University, Canada Yasmin Sooka, Foundation for Human Rights, South Africa

Policies and ethics