Justice in wartime: how to prepare for peace?

Delivering justice in times of conflict is a major operational, legal and ethical challenge. Maintaining a functioning judicial system in areas affected by fighting, collecting testimony from refugee or displaced victims, documenting serious human rights violations and ensuring a fair trial for the presumed perpetrators: all this requires the coordinated mobilisation of multiple actors - judges, investigators, rights defenders, NGOs and international organisations.

The evolution of contemporary conflicts, whether international wars, internal crises or post-conflict situations, now requires a link between national jurisdictions, regional bodies and international tribunals - such as the International Criminal Court or the hybrid tribunals set up in Rwanda, Cambodia or Kosovo. Moreover, the temporality of justice has changed: it often intervenes while hostilities are still underway, raising questions of legitimacy and effectiveness.

In societies marked by civil wars, the reintegration of former convicts and the implementation of reparation measures play a key role in restoring peace. In this context, transitional justice plays a structuring role: truth, recognition, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition are all dimensions that need to be taken into account to support reconstruction processes.

This Rendez-vous de l'Expertise provided an opportunity to hear from people working on the ground to combat impunity. Their discussions highlighted the obstacles they face, the resources they need to carry out their mission, and the hopes that drive them in their quest for fair justice, even in the midst of chaos.