OHCHR / RIGHT TO THE TRUTH

The right to the truth is crucial in addressing human rights violations for victims, according to a joint study by Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence, Pablo de Greiff, and Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. OHCHR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:52
• Production Date: 23 March 2018
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: ADAMA DIENG
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR
• Subject Topical: GENOCIDE
• MAMS Id: 2116186
• Parent Id: 2116186
• Alternate Title: unifeed180323c

Description

STORY: OHCHR / RIGHT TO THE TRUTH
TRT: 02:52
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTION: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 02 MARCH 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Tilt down, the Human Rights Council room
2. Med shot, Adama Dieng and Pablo de Greiff with interviewer
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide:
“We have been witnessing so many crises around the world, in which thousands of lives are being taken by all types of criminals. And I think it is important to also look into those, drawing lessons from the past and see how we can really strengthen prevention of atrocity crimes.”
4. Close up, hands
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide:
“At the end of the second world war, the international community cried never again. Unfortunately, we witnessed the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, we witnessed the genocide of Srebrenica, and unfortunately still today we are witnessing atrocities being committed widely. Look at what is happening in Iraq, what is happening right now in Syria, what is happening in Myanmar. So, there is something wrong. And what is wrong, and that is why we felt that the international community is not doing what it should have done to really fulfil its commitment.”
6. Med shot, Dieng with interviewer
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide:
“So, what we need, is not only words but action.”
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence:
“So, transitional justice was born out of the desire precisely, to increase accountability and to ensure ‘nunca mas’, never again, and it does by unpacking the concept of justice into different elements; criminal justice, truth reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. Each of those are a contribution to the breaking of the cycles of impunity.”
9. Wide shot, de Greiff and woman walking
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth,
Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence:
“There is weak commitment to prevention, both in terms of political will and in terms of investments, both material and technical investment. I think there is too much fragmentation of knowledge and I think that there is a certain sense in which we are letting geopolitics get in the way or preventive aims.”
12. Wide shot, panel discussion.
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence:
“It is crucial, both for victims and others, that there is acknowledgement of the systematic violations that may have taken place.”
15. Med shot, de Greiff and woman walking

Storyline

The right to the truth is crucial in addressing human rights violations for victims, according to a joint study by Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence, Pablo de Greiff, and Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

The study, “The Contribution of Transitional Justice to the Prevention of Mass Atrocities” was released earlier this month.

Dieng raised concerns that there are too many ongoing crises around the world and the international community should draw from past wrongs to address the current human rights violations.

Calling for action by the international community to address current human rights violations and atrocities, Dieng said, “at the end of the second world war, the international community cried never again. Unfortunately, we witnessed the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, we witnessed the genocide of Srebrenica, and unfortunately still today we are witnessing atrocities being committed widely. Look at what is happening in Iraq, what is happening right now in Syria, what is happening in Myanmar. So, there is something wrong. And what is wrong, and that is why we felt that the international community is not doing what it should have done to really fulfil its commitment.”

De Greiff, observed that transitional justice processes can contribute as a deterrence to impunity.

He said, “transitional justice was born out of the desire precisely, to increase accountability and to ensure ‘nunca mas’, never again, and it does by unpacking the concept of justice into different elements; criminal justice, truth reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. Each of those are a contribution to the breaking of the cycles of impunity.”

The joint study, makes a linkage between transitional justice and prevention of atrocity crimes. The two experts were requested to produce study following the adoption a Human Rights Council a resolution in 2017.