UN Transitional Justice Resolution Bodes Well for Arab Spring

The United Nations (UN) has sent a strong signal that impunity for serious human rights violations will not be tolerated. The UN’s Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution  (Arabic) at its last session creating a new Special Procedure with a mandate to report on transitional justice. The mandate establishes a Special Rapporteur on the promotion of justice, reparation and guarantees of nonrecurrence of violations, and comes at an important time, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The new Special Rapporteur will have a three-year mandate to collect information on national situations and support States emerging from conflict and in transition adequately to pursue reform and remedy from gross violations of human rights or violations of international humanitarian law. The overwhelming support of UNHRC member States, particularly in the statements delivered by Latin American countries, hints at a promising international commitment to transitional justice. Recent domestic laws, such as the Victims Law in Colombia, also show a new concentration by states to uphold obligations to ensure transitional justice, although also highlight the complications and debates surrounding reparations.