Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions

Objective/context: The article explores truth commissions as processes that allow victims and civil society mobilization. It examines the relationship between victims and civil society with the governing regime in the lead up to the establishment of a truth commission and in the implementation of a...

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Autor principal: Carles Fernandez Torne
Formato: artículo científico
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Universidad de Los Andes 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=81258313003
http://biblioteca-repositorio.clacso.edu.ar/handle/CLACSO/95377
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author Carles Fernandez Torne
author_facet Carles Fernandez Torne
author_sort Carles Fernandez Torne
collection Repositorio
description Objective/context: The article explores truth commissions as processes that allow victims and civil society mobilization. It examines the relationship between victims and civil society with the governing regime in the lead up to the establishment of a truth commission and in the implementation of a commissions recommendations. The article frames mobilization as enabling vertical accountability relationships following the pressure that victims and civil society exert on the governing regime. To support this argument, I examine the commissions established in 1990 in Nepal and in 1994 in Sri Lanka. Methodology: The article proposes evaluative criteria showing a governing regime is rendered accountable to pressure from civil society, in the lead up to establishing a truth commission and as a result of the recommendations in the final report. It then assesses whether or not the data collected fulfills the evaluative criteria proposed. Data has been collected by carrying out a literature review, including primary and secondary sources, and through semi-structured interviews conducted in Nepal and Sri Lanka between 2013 and 2015. Conclusions: The evidence collected suggests that a close relationship between victims, civil society, and pro-democracy political parties leading to the establishment of a truth commission, limits the pressure this civil society can exert on the implementation of recommendations, once those pro-democracy political parties are in the new government. Originality: The analysis of truth commissions as processes is relevant to better understand the reasons behind a lack of implementation of their recommendations.
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spelling clacso-CLACSO953772022-03-22T18:52:50Z Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions Carles Fernandez Torne Política civil society Nepal political parties Sri Lanka Truth commissions vertical accountability victims Objective/context: The article explores truth commissions as processes that allow victims and civil society mobilization. It examines the relationship between victims and civil society with the governing regime in the lead up to the establishment of a truth commission and in the implementation of a commissions recommendations. The article frames mobilization as enabling vertical accountability relationships following the pressure that victims and civil society exert on the governing regime. To support this argument, I examine the commissions established in 1990 in Nepal and in 1994 in Sri Lanka. Methodology: The article proposes evaluative criteria showing a governing regime is rendered accountable to pressure from civil society, in the lead up to establishing a truth commission and as a result of the recommendations in the final report. It then assesses whether or not the data collected fulfills the evaluative criteria proposed. Data has been collected by carrying out a literature review, including primary and secondary sources, and through semi-structured interviews conducted in Nepal and Sri Lanka between 2013 and 2015. Conclusions: The evidence collected suggests that a close relationship between victims, civil society, and pro-democracy political parties leading to the establishment of a truth commission, limits the pressure this civil society can exert on the implementation of recommendations, once those pro-democracy political parties are in the new government. Originality: The analysis of truth commissions as processes is relevant to better understand the reasons behind a lack of implementation of their recommendations. 2019 2022-03-22T18:52:50Z 2022-03-22T18:52:50Z artículo científico http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=81258313003 http://biblioteca-repositorio.clacso.edu.ar/handle/CLACSO/95377 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=812 Colombia Internacional application/pdf Universidad de Los Andes Colombia Internacional (Colombia) Num.97
spellingShingle Política
civil society
Nepal
political parties
Sri Lanka
Truth commissions
vertical accountability
victims
Carles Fernandez Torne
Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions
title Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions
title_full Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions
title_fullStr Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions
title_full_unstemmed Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions
title_short Submissive to the Political Will? Civil Society and Victims Mobilization around Truth Commissions
title_sort submissive to the political will? civil society and victims mobilization around truth commissions
topic Política
civil society
Nepal
political parties
Sri Lanka
Truth commissions
vertical accountability
victims
url http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=81258313003
http://biblioteca-repositorio.clacso.edu.ar/handle/CLACSO/95377