[Research seminar] ‘The Truth in Times of Transitional Justice: The Council of Europe and the Former Yugoslavia’

07 May 2020
  • Starts at: 15:30h
  • Fee: Free
  • Venue: ZOOM (online)
  • Organiser: T.M.C. Asser Instituut

On 7 May, the Asser Institute is proud to welcome Dr Natasha Stamenkovikj. During this research seminar, she will be presenting her PhD thesis ‘The Truth in Times of Transitional Justice: The Council of Europe and the Former Yugoslavia’.

This book analyses the development and the scope of the right to the truth within international norms and within the Council of Europe’s policies on post-conflict transition in the former Yugoslavia. It delineates the extent to which the Council has addressed the right to the truth in its policies as to honour the contemporary regulation of this right in international norms and practices. The book offers a systematized normative framework on the Council’s recognition of the right to the truth and its understanding of its scope in transitional justice (TJ) processes. The analysis distinguishes between the Council’s more explicit but limited recognition of the right to the truth as a fundamental right and its more implicit but broader understanding of the scope of the right to the truth as a concept in TJ processes.

This study contributes to the academic literature on the efforts of the Council of Europe to promote and export values of democracy and peace. By providing a detailed analysis of the coherence of the Council’s country-specific standardization of the right to the truth, this study reveals existing inconsistencies in the Council’s efforts to externalize values and suggests potential models for limiting or eliminating such inconsistencies. If pursued, the latter may contribute to improving the implementation and legitimation of the CoE’s political mandates in post-conflict societies.

Asser research seminars

During the Asser Research Seminars, external researchers are invited to present their current and upcoming research with the Asser research community. The seminars are semi-open, as we invite a few external people who may be interested in the specific topic of the seminar. However, we aim to keep the group’s size limited, to stimulate interaction and high quality, in-depth discussions. Researchers who are interested in presenting their research to the Asser research community are welcome to send an e-mail to Dr Christophe Paulussen (c.paulussen@asser.nl). 

For more information about past research seminars, please see here.