In War, No One Distributes Sweets: Assessing Transitional Justice Responses & Approaches in Post-2001 Afghanistan

The paper, which has been produced by AREU with support of IFIT, is part of a larger international project focusing on non-state insurgencies’ role in peace processes. This is a case study of Afghanistan aiming to contribute to an understanding of the war and its parties since 2001, mainly the Taliban, the government and pro-government forces. The paper unpacks the transitional justice approaches applied to human rights violations and draws lessons on preventing or reducing violent extremism as well as on the future of reconciliation in furthering that objective.

The paper provides a historical background, identifying each party’s views and approaches to addressing grave violations in the immediate and longer-term contexts of a peace deal and political settlement. It also analyses the opportunities and challenges of the transitional justice options and how these are understood by the negotiating parties and other key stakeholders.