Challenges to achieve truth, justice and reparation in contexts of continuous violence in Latin America: reflections of Dr. Carlos Beristain
On the Latin American continent, there have been several important transitional justice processes to confront crimes committed in the framework of military dictatorships and / or internal armed conflicts. These processes to obtain the truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition of such events today are benchmarks in the field of transitional justice.
However, today new forms of violence are presented, where the perpetrators of atrocities include authorities and different non-state groups / actors and the victims do not necessarily belong to clearly identifiable (political) groups. Likewise, the complexity of violence and human rights violations create the need to take measures traditionally linked to transitional justice in contexts of continuous violence.
In this seminar we discussed with Dr. Carlos Martín Beristain, about the challenges that arise in current contexts of violence in Latin America, especially in Colombia and Mexico. Carlos Beristain is a professor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV) in San Sebastián, a doctor in Psychology with extensive experience working in truth commissions in different Latin American countries and a specialist in truth and reparations issues. He is currently a member of the Truth Commission in Colombia and was part of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) for the case of 43 students from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, who disappeared in Mexico in 2014.
Organization:
The seminar was an initiative of the project “Digital Memories” (KU Leuven), Leuven Institute of Criminology and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is funded by the European Research Council.
Under the help of the European Research Council, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Fund on Transitional Justice (KU Leuven).
Place:
FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation / Rue des Petits Carmes / Karmelietenstraat 15 1000 Brussels – Press Room
