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Transitional justice and small states: Bosnia-Herzegovina and Tunisia

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Abstract

Transitional justice is universal and systematic tool of the international community in post-conflict or post-dictatorial contexts with a strong link to the human rights norms. Thus, post-conflict states from diverse regions of the globe—from Europe and Central and Latin America to Africa and Asia—apply transitional justice mechanisms hoping it would positively contribute to a peaceful transition to a democratic state based on the rule of law. This article explores the cases of two small states: Bosnia-Herzegovina and Tunisia, that put transitional justice mechanisms in place to tackle the human rights violations and to further a full democratic transition. It will illustrate the challenges faced by these two states with different political, sociocultural and legal context in applying transitional justice mechanisms.

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Notes

  1. Interviews conducted with Tunisian political actors during fieldwork in Tunisia in October–November 2017.

  2. Interview conducted by the IVD commission member, October 2017.

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  1. Department of Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Melek Saral

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Saral, M. Transitional justice and small states: Bosnia-Herzegovina and Tunisia. Int Polit 60, 428–445 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-021-00356-7

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