The objective of this Course is to introduce students to transitional justice and state capacity building. The notion of transitional justice comprises the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with a society’s attempt to come to term with a legacy of large-scale human rights abuses in order to ensure accountability and serve justice, including accountability redress mechanisms. TJ measures include establishment of special courts (like ECtHR after WW2), criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, reparation programmes and various kinds of institutional reforms that will be addressed throughout the Course. Special attention will be given to corruption and state capture.

The economic, social and legal problems confronting societies in transition and after conflicts have attracted great attention in recent decades, especially since the unification of Germany, collapse of communistic states, war in former Yugoslavia, formation of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Arab spring etc. This course will give insight into transitional justice concepts also concerned with plundering of natural resources, environmental and corruption crimes. Therefore, the Course will provide the holistic approach to transitional justice. Holistic approach includes addressing all human rights violations in transitional and post conflict societies. After the Course, students will be able to think, analyze and write critically about the transitional justice mechanism in general and to be able to work in international organisations and firms dealing with countries that are young democracies and or in conflict. In depth knowledge will be acquired in addressing economic violence in international criminal and transitional justice discourse (e.g. UN and EU business and human rights agenda).