SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, in partnership with the Association of Abductees’ Mothers, organized today in the city of Taiz a high-level dialogue session with the participation of leaders and elites from various political parties and forces. The session aimed to discuss these actors’ visions and perspectives regarding transitional justice pathways and mechanisms for its implementation within a comprehensive national context, amid discussions described as transparent and in-depth.
This session is part of the activities of the “SPARK” project funded by the DT Institute. The discussion was facilitated by a number of specialized experts and focused on formulating a balanced national vision that ensures justice for victims while also taking into account the requirements of political and social stability. It also sought to explore the positions of political parties on the concepts of transitional justice, equity, and reconciliation, to understand their approaches to accountability and reparations, to identify areas of agreement and divergence, and to arrive at actionable, implementable recommendations.
The session addressed several key themes, most notably the concept of transitional justice and its relationship to peacebuilding, as well as the sensitive terminology associated with it and the political concerns that may hinder its adoption. It also highlighted victims’ rights as a fundamental national and moral principle, with participants emphasizing that reparations mechanisms should go beyond financial compensation to include explicit acknowledgment of violations, official apologies, and truth disclosure, as essential components of moral redress.
Participants also discussed the challenge of balancing the demands of accountability and truth-telling on one hand with the need to preserve stability on the other. Additional topics included the role of political parties in supporting transitional justice and reconciliation processes, the reasons behind the stagnation of consensus on the 2013 Transitional Justice Law draft, and the possibility of building upon it as a starting point to revive this process.
The interventions of attendees reflected a growing political awareness of the importance of transitional justice as a tool to prevent the recurrence of conflict and to build sustainable peace. They also called for the adoption of a unified national approach that moves beyond exclusionary rhetoric or provocative terminology, and is based on clear guarantees affirming that the objective is institutional and societal reform rather than revenge or political settling of scores.
The session concluded with several key outcomes, including:
These sessions come as part of broader efforts to promote the concepts of justice and reconciliation, paving the way for building political consensus that contributes to ending the conflict and achieving sustainable peace.