Amnesty after atrocity? : healing nations after genocide and war crimes / Helena Cobban.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cobban, Helena

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War crimes.

Crimes against humanity.

War crimes trials.

Victims of crimes.

Physical Description:

xii, 284 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Boulder : Paradigm, [2007]

Summary:

In Amnesty after Atrocity? veteran journalist Helena Cobban examines the effectiveness of different ways of dealing with the aftermath of genocide and violence committed during deep intergroup conflicts. She traveled to Rwanda, Mozambique, and South Africa to assess the various ways those nations tried to come to grips with their violent past: from war crimes trials to truth commissions to outright amnesties for perpetrators. She discovered that in terms of both moving these societies forward and satisfying the needs of survivors, war crimes trials are not the most effective path. This work provides strategic historical context and includes interviews with a cross-section of the panoply of humanity that makes up any post-atrocity society: community leaders, victims, policymakers, teachers, rights activists, and even some former abusers. These first-person accounts create a rich, readable text, and Cobbans overall conclusions will surprise many readers in the West.

Contents:

Atrocities, conflicts, and peacemaking

Rwanda : court processes after mass violence

South Africa : amnesties, truth-seeking

and reconciliation?

Mozambique : heal and rebuild

Comparing postconflict justice in Rwanda, South Africa, and Mozambique

Restoring peacemaking, revaluing history.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-267) and indexes.

ISBN:

1594513163

OCLC:

66527164

Publisher Number:

9781594513169