Colombia and Bosnia, Victims and Peace: And Justice for All?

Abstract

The article discusses shifts in transitional justice approaches by comparing the Bosnian experience of justice agreements and practices with the current Colombian framing of transitional justice agreements within the context of the ongoing peace process between the FARC-EP and the Colombian government. The transitional justice framework for a post–agreement transition in Colombia can be analysed through the lenses of different questions: Is the objective of this framework to ensure justice? Or is the goal of transitional Justice reconciliation? Are the transitional justice agreements informed by retributive or reparative understandings of justice? Is local justice more important than international justice? To discuss the answers to these questions, the article compares the peace building experience of Bosnia-Herzegovina with the current Colombian peace process, particularly in regard to the transitional justice framework agreed upon in these processes.