Since the 1990s, various mechanisms of Transitional Justice have enabled countries emerging from violent conflicts or prolonged periods of authoritarian rule to strike a balance between demands for justice and accountability and the need to rebuild fragile social fabrics.
In Colombia, the peace agreement between the government and the FARC rebels, signed in 2017, stipulated the creation of a Special Tribunal for Peace. The Tribunal has given agency to thousands of victims of the conflict, allowing them to articulate their cases to the nation and to confront their victimizers face-to-face, who in turn have received verdicts involving innovative forms of social reparation.

After the end of a more than a decade-long civil war in 2024, Syrians are now confronted with the daunting challenge of bringing justice to the families of more than half a million victims, while building bridges between communities in a post-conflict setting marked by political asymmetries, ethnic and confessional divisions, and external involvement. Like in Colombia, transitional justice mechanisms could allow Syria to solidify peace while delivering justice.

Using a comparative historical analysis, this paper examines the legal and practical challenges encountered in the Colombian experience and compares them to those in Syria. In particular, it examines prevailing historical narratives of victory at the conclusion of both conflicts and the party’s commitment to the United Nations-mandated pillars of Transitional Justice: universal truth-seeking, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence.

Authors:
Federico Vélez, American University of Kuwait, Kuwait

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Federico Vélez, Associate Professor of International Relations and History, American University of Kuwait. Academic interests include: the Modern Middle East history, and Latin American and Arab connections in a Global South.

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