Transitional justice approaches: experiences from selected post-conflict and post-authoritarian countries

This paper examines different approaches to transitional justice through experiences from selected post-conflict and post-authoritarian countries in Africa, South America, and Europe. The most commonly applied mechanisms of transitional justice are analyzed in order to identify patterns of similarity and divergence across the selected cases. Although these mechanisms share common normative foundations, their implementation varies depending on the political, institutional, and historical contexts in which they are applied. The analysis demonstrates that no single model of transitional justice prevails universally; rather, transitional processes evolve through context-specific combinations shaped by local demands, institutional capacities, and socio-political dynamics. While both theory and practice reflect a broad range of approaches to transitional justice, and scholarship does not offer a universally agreed classification of models, this paper focuses on restorative, retributive, and institutional reform approaches as analytically distinct and representative frameworks. These approaches are selected for their conceptual clarity and frequent application in practice. This selection does not imply exclusivity but reflects their relevance across different national contexts. By placing selected experiences within a theoretical framework of transitional justice approaches, the paper provides insight into the determinants of transitional justice design and contributes to the identification of good practices that may guide the development of effective transitional justice processes in post-conflict and post-authoritarian settings.