A civil society activist and a human right lawyer, Jackline Nasiwa, has call on the transitional justice working group and the mechanisms to be victims-centered in their approach to achieving transitional justice.
Nasiwa who is a prominent member of the Transitional Justice working group and executive director of The Center for inclusive governance, Peace, and Justice said while referring to transitional justice that there is, “Nothing without the victim for the victim and by the victim”.
“That mean if you are working on transitional justice issues, you have to involve the persons who have been affected” she said.
The activist emphasized that the committees and the mechanisms that are working and collecting the data for the establishment of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing should ensure that they do a work that will satisfy the victims of the conflict.
“Allow the people who are affected by the conflict to speak for themselves, don’t speak for them” Nasiwa urges, “In transitional Justice process, we say let the victims decide what is good for them, not you to decide what is good for you and you think it can work for the victim,”
In April, 2022, President Salva Kiir launched a nationwide consultation for the establishment of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and healing.
The consultation target public views and the victims of the conflict.
“Because we are talking about healing, forgiveness and reconciliation process and all these are voluntary and this mean the person who is affected should voluntarily involve and share the information,” Nasiwa stated.
“Whatever we are doing in term of knowing the truth of what happened, we have to know it from the victim perspectives. We cannot narrate what happened. The victim has to narrate what happened exactly,”
The 2018 Revitalized peace agreement in chapter five of its texts provide for Accountability, Transitional Justice, Healing and Reconciliation which are to be achieved through public and victims involvement.
The activist warns against forging and influencing the recommendation and the results of public consultation.
“The recommendations that we make should be what will make the victim happy and satisfied,” she said “And if we are narrating, we should narrate exactly what they have told us or what we have seen happened to them”
Jackeline was addressing a discussion organized by Dialogue and Research Institute (DRI) for Transitional Justice and Accountability Mechanisms on Thursday in Juba under theme: Promoting Peace, Truth and Reconciliation process.
