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Utopia and the doubters: truth, transition and the law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Colm Campbell  and
Catherine Turner
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Abstract

Truth commissions have an intuitive appeal in squaring the circle of peace and accountability post-conflict, but some claims for their benefits risk utopianism. Law provides both opportunities and pitfalls for post-conflict justice initiatives, including the operation of truth commissions. Rather than adopting a heavily legalised approach, derived from Public Inquiries, an ‘holistic legal model’, employing social science fact-finding methodologies to explore pattern of violations, and drawing appropriately on legal standards, may provide the best option for a possible Northern Ireland truth commission.

Type
Research Article
Information
Legal Studies , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , September 2008 , pp. 374 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Society of Legal Scholars 2008

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References

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