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Begin New Search Political Geography Europe Publishing Institution Centre on Human Rights in Conflict

1. Walking on Water: Religion, Historical Memory and Human Rights in Spain and Australia

Author:
Michael Phillips
Publication Date:
12-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Abstract:
The parable of Jesus walking on water occurs in three of the gospels. This parable was used by Imanol Zubero, former Socialist Senator and Basque peace activist, now Professor at the Basque Country University, to describe to me the position of the Catholic Church in Spain today: where once the Church had known how to walk on water and call to the Spanish people to follow it, today the Church has lost its prophetic voice and is in danger of becoming a closed sect. Zubero was referring to the 1970s when the Church played a positive, and widely admired, role in the Spanish Transition to democracy. In this paper I try to account for this change by considering cases from two very different Catholic traditions, Spain and Australia, which have at least one thing in common: in both cases the Church has been accused of responsibility for historical wrong-doing and complicity in human rights abuses.
Topic:
Civil War, Human Rights, Religion, History, and Reform
Political Geography:
Europe, Spain, and Australia/Pacific

2. Just and Durable Peace by Piece European Union 7 th Framework Programme

Author:
Olga Martin-Ortega, Chandra Lekha Sriram, and Johanna Herman
Publication Date:
05-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Abstract:
Following the end of violent conflicts, whether by military victory or negotiated settlement, international actors such as the European Union and the United Nations play an increasing role in peacebuilding, through a range of security, governance, and development activities. These may or may not be mandated by a peace agreement or other formal settlement, and may or may not follow or work in tandem with a peacekeeping mission. International, regional, national, and local actors may work in a more or less collaborative, or coherent fashion. Nonetheless, many of the key challenges of peacebuilding remain the same, and a familiar set of policies and strategies have emerged in contemporary practice to address these. Chief among the challenges of contemporary peacebuilding is that of addressing demands for some form of accountability, often termed transitional justice (discussed in section 3). However, as this guidance paper explains, the demands of transitional justice and its relation to broader peacebuilding activities, involve not just decisions about accountability, but a complex set of policy and institutional choices about security and governance as well. Thus, this guidance paper examines peacebuilding and transitional justice as a set of linked policies and strategies regarding not just accountability, but security sector reform (SSR), disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants, and development of the rule of law.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Security, Political Violence, Government, Peace Studies, United Nations, and War
Political Geography:
Europe

3. Trading Justice for Security? UN Anti-Terrorism, Due Process Rights, and the Role of the Judiciary

Author:
Carmen Draghici
Publication Date:
05-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Abstract:
Policy-makers, domestically and in international for a, tend to address counter- terrorism and human-rights protection in terms of competitive goals. In the post-9/11 political climate dominated by security concerns, the suppression of the financing of terrorism is given priority over suspects' rights. The current procedures established by the UN Security Council for the freezing of funds of terrorist suspects encroach upon several individual rights. The most severe infringement upon the rights of persons targeted by the UN sanctions derives from the lack of a secure avenue of appeal. The denial of access to justice has been fostered for several years by the deference of national and regional courts to the UN Security Council. Recent developments at European Union level demonstrate that judicial decisions can shape counter-terrorism policies.
Topic:
Human Rights, Terrorism, United Nations, and Counterinsurgency
Political Geography:
Europe

4. Evaluating and Comparing Strategies of Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice

Author:
Olga Martin-Ortega, Chandra Lekha Sriram, and Johanna Herman
Publication Date:
05-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Abstract:
Following the end of violent conflicts, whether by military victory or negotiated settlement, international actors such as the European Union and the United Nations play an increasing role in peace building, through a range of security, governance, and development activities. These may or may not be mandated by a peace agreement or other formal settlement, and may or may not follow or work in tandem with a peacekeeping mission. International, regional, national, and local actors may work in a more or less collaborative, or coherent fashion. Nonetheless, many of the key challenges of peace building remain the same, and a familiar set of policies and strategies have emerged in contemporary practice to address these. Chief among the challenges of contemporary peace building is that of addressing demands for some form of accountability, often termed transitional justice (discussed in section 3). However, as this guidance paper explains, the demands of transitional justice and its relation to broader peace building activities, involve not just decisions about accountability, but a complex set of policy and institutional choices about security and governance as well. Thus, this guidance paper examines peace building and transitional justice as a set of linked policies and strategies regarding not just accountability, but security sector reform (SSR), disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants, and development of the rule of law.
Topic:
Political Violence, Human Rights, Peace Studies, and War
Political Geography:
Europe