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Blog: Organizing Tips for Citizens Tribunals

Philippe Duhamel's picture
Posted April 12th, 2008 by Philippe Duhamel
TribunalPhoto cc: bloomsberries.

 

A mock tribunal is not a kangoroo court. The more your mock tribunal adheres to recognized standards of a fair trial, and resembles the existing proceedings in your country, the more credibility the endeavour can earn.

 

We have explained previously how citizen-based mock tribunals make good use of premonitory power, discussed the impact of repressed testimonies towards making truth and reconciliation possible, and covered 14 things to think about before you organize a mock tribunal.

 

In this last piece on paralegal forums, we turn to practical advice on conducting non-governmental "trials", with some ideas for follow-up activities that can prolong and widen the tribunal's impact.

Blog: Before you organize a mock tribunal: 14 things to think about

Philippe Duhamel's picture
Posted April 3rd, 2008 by Philippe Duhamel

tribunalPhoto cc: JaHoVil

 

When faced with problems such as weak or no enforcement of human rights law, or even the lack of proper national legal instruments, how can you determine whether a mock tribunal is the right tactic for you? What factors should you weigh in before you decide?

 

And if you thought a citizen-based tribunal could be a useful tactic, how would you go about organizing it? What are some of the steps involved in setting up such a large-scale, public event? For instance, how should you choose those who will play a direct part in it, especially judges (or commissioners)?

 

In A Mock Tribunal to Advance Change, Mufuliat Fijabi has helped us answer those questions. The following checklist includes some of her advice, and other tips.

 

You can quickly scan through the list to see what organizing a tribunal entails. The checklist includes 11 "before you organize" items, and 3 "early prep" tasks.

notebook: Uncovering the Evidence: The forensic sciences in human rights

In this notebook we learn about the ways in which forensic science can unearth human rights abuses from the past and bring closure to families as well as truth to the judicial process.  The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team has been training human rights NGOs to use forensic tools to advance investigations.  Through this science one can tell if a person was tortured, if the death was accidental or intentional and they can try to indentify the person.