People’s Tribunals and Transitional Justice: Reflections

People’s Tribunals and Transitional Justice:

Reflections on the International Tribunal of Conscience of Peoples in Movement

Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 pm

In Keller Hall Room 103

Please join the University of Dayton School of Law, the Human Rights Advocacy Awareness Group, and the Constitutional Law Society for a panel discussion about “People’s Tribunals” and transitional justice. The panel will be focusing on the work of the International Tribunal of Conscience of People in Movement.

The International Tribunal of Conscience is a symbolic court of justice governed by ethical and historical principles, and is distinguished by its independence, moral authority and balance. It was inspired by the International War Crimes Tribunal, known as the Russell-Sartre Tribunal, chaired by the philosopher Jean Paul Sartre. The Tribunal recently held hearings in Mexico City, Guerrero, and Puebla addressing the causes of the generalized violence in Mexico that has resulted in murders, forced disappearance, torture, massive unjust imprisonment, the persecution of migrants in transit from Central America, and the depredation of natural resources of indigenous communities. The Tribunal seeks to advance transitional justice through denunciation and social awareness to pressure the Mexican State to assume its ethical and moral responsibility to end this violence.  The panel will explore the role of People’s Tribunals as a tool for transitional justice designed to redress legacies of human rights abuses.

Participants: Camilo Pérez-Bustillo is Director of Advocacy, Research and Leadership Development at Hope Border Institute/Instituto Fronterizo Esperanza in El Paso, Texas & Research Fellow at University of Dayton School of Law. Stephanie Bello-Gálvez (UDSL ’19) is Human Rights Center Graduate Fellow at University of Dayton; and Jurist -International Tribunal of Conscience. Chris Roederer, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Dayton with an expertise in constitutional law, comparative law, and issues of transitional justice.