International Truth Commissions as a vehicle of transitional justice: do they further the right to the truth? : a case study of the Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission

Abstract

This thesis examines the field of transitional justice, in particular one of its most prominent tools: truth commissions. Furthermore the notion of the right to the truth will be elucidated and it will be elaborated on the question to what extent these two concepts interrelate to each other. Thus the question will be stressed whether truth commissions, thanks to its mandate and work, act as a safeguard to the right to the truth. It will also be touched upon the question whether truth commission are efficient in terms of implementing their work, among others by means of formulating recommendations. It will be essential to point out that there are two ways of establishing a truth commission: truth commissions can come into being following international pressure, on one hand, or following a domestic need to establish a commonly accepted version of truth, on the other. It becomes clear that the latter are more likely to generate successful outcomes. A case study of a mainly internationally driven commission, namely the Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission (KIC), will be then conducted to picture the particular outcomes of truth commissions of that kind. As the outcomes of truth commissions are particularly diverse and difficult to grasp due to the individual character of every single country, it can be argued that the most likely element to be achieved by a truth commission is the establishment of a certain record of the past and thus a certain dimension of truth, which is of tremendous value for every single society that suffered from past human rights abuses; a value which they cannot be deprived of.