Knowing the Truth – What For? The Contested Politics of Transitional Justice in Burundi

In Burundi mechanisms to deal with the violent past are much contested by political parties. It seems that there is no ‘political will’ for a normative model of transitional justice based on international criminal, humanitarian and human rights law. On the one hand, transitional justice is contested because it touches on fundamental interests of politicians, especially those who have been implicated in past crimes. On the other hand, political parties differently conceptualise basic elements of transitional justice, such as justice, truth and reconciliation. As a political process, transitional justice mechanisms produce certain ‘truths’, ‘facts’ and interpretations about the past and reflect certain norms and values. This paper analyses the different political parties’ stances on transitional justice, stances influenced by rational choice factors and divergent conceptions of justice, truth and reconciliation. Moreover, it shows how they use the normative concept of transitional justice as an instrument for political struggle.