DOI: 10.46340/eppd.2024.11.3.2
Svitlana Naumkina, ScD in Political Science
The State Institution “South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky”, Odesa, Ukraine
Oleksii Kokoriev, ScD in Political Science
State University of Intellectual Technologies and Communications, Odesa, Ukraine
Hanna Yatvetska, PhD in Social Science
State University of Intellectual Technologies and Communications, Odesa, Ukraine
How to cite: Naumkina, S., Kokoriev, O., & Yatvetska, H. (2024). Transitional Justice as an Efficient Mechanism for Overcoming the Consequences of Armed Conflicts: World Experience. Evropský politický a právní diskurz, 11, 3, 13-23. https://doi.org/10.46340/eppd.2024.11.3.2
Abstract
Transitional justice mechanisms can take many forms, including truth commissions, local courts and traditional methods of justice, as well as the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. International tribunals and special courts for past crimes are neglected because of their less significant role at the moment. A feature of modern armed conflicts is their cross-border nature, and the regional and global character of the displacement of population fleeing the Russian-Ukrainian conflict vividly demonstrates this tendency. Attempts to introduce a regional approach to restorative transitional justice, which takes the form of extrajudicial mechanisms such as truth commissions, should be acknowledged. Considering the experience of five countries, it is important to ensure the active participation of victims in the process, strengthen reparations measures, ensure the implementation of recommendations and increase the transparency and accountability of commissions. Amnesty laws can also play an important role in restoring public confidence in the justice system. National legislation should be improved as much as possible in the conditions of armed conflict and meet the expectations of victims and civil society. The approach to transitional justice in Ukraine includes various mechanisms aimed at ensuring justice, reconciliation and restoration. It is appropriate to borrow the experience of Colombia, where special amnesty conditions were created for criminals after the conflict. They rebuilt schools, hospitals and other infrastructure facilities, substituting criminal liability for participation in the restoration of what they themselves had destroyed. Amnesty can be applied to persons who have committed minor offences, but in the case of serious crimes, amnesty cannot be considered as a possible option and the opinion of the affected persons must be taken into account. The lack of jurisdiction of the ICC over the crime of aggression in the case of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impossibility of bringing the military and political leadership of the aggressors to justice exclusively through national mechanisms prompted the establishment of the Special Tribunal. The use of national, hybrid and international institutions will contribute to the formation of national narratives and the strengthening of the rule of law. The implementation of these mechanisms will ensure the inevitability of punishment, help in the reintegration of the occupied territories and the restoration of the sovereignty of Ukraine. The dynamics of public opinion in Ukraine demonstrate growing support for international and national justice mechanisms for prosecution of war crimes, as well as skepticism about the possibility of receiving reparations from Russia. These processes have a significant impact on the political system of Ukraine and the world order, contributing to stability and peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Keywords: transitional justice, Transitional Justice Models, war crimes, armed conflicts, international law, public opinion, justice, world order, political process, world political system.
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