Efficient and Legitimate Mechanisms of Transitional Justice

Transitional Justice means doing justice in transitional societies. Transitional societies refers societies to whith transit from gross and systematic human rights and humanitarian violations to permanent peace and reconciliation. Many scholars believe that doing justice versus gross and systematic violations means doing criminal justice. But experience of most of transitional societies established that doing criminal justice in transition period is not only possible, but also so dangerous. It is so dangerous because it makes to jeopardize frangible peace in transitional societies. Most of transitional societies use non-criminal mechanisms such as truth commissions, reparation programs and traditional justice mechanisms in dealing with gross and systematic violations committed during the previous regime. In this paper, I will examine these questions: In a transitional society, what does justice mean? Which of the transitional justice mechanisms (criminal or non-criminal) should be able to meet the needs of a transitional society? Can non-criminal mechanisms used in the transitional society be recognize in the international level.