Reconciliation

Reconciliation is the process of building or rebuilding relationships after there have been massive and widespread human rights violations. Reconciliation helps societies move from a divided past to a shared future, by repairing the fractures caused by an absence of trust, when parties acknowledge their roles in past crimes and both victims and perpetrators can face the truth and be reconciled.

But there can be no reconciliation without justice. In countries where Truth Commissions are implemented, the journey to reconciliation is shortened. Reconciliation is not a substitute for accountability or to blanket amnesty for serious crimes against humanity under international law.