Transitional justice and the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples.

Source: (2009) Research Brief. October. New York: International Center for Transitional Justice.

Many of the situations that transitional justice has been called upon to address involve
wholesale attacks on minority communities—not only through physical attacks but also
by seizure of land and property, economic marginalization, prohibition of community
organization, dismantling of political structures and forms of assimilation by stealth. Th e
rights of minorities and indigenous peoples (MIPs) were designed, in part, to provide
comprehensive protection against these kinds of abuses.
MIP rights may be—and in some cases have been—articulated to strengthen claims for
transitional justice, and produce outcomes in transitional justice processes that contribute
to more eff ective and sustainable justice and reconciliation. Employing an MIP rights
framework in transitional justice eff orts may promote objectives of transitional justice,
such as creating a more just and inclusive society and preventing repetition of abuses. (excerpt)