Telling the Truth in a Divided Society: the RECOM Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Telling the Truth in a Divided Society: the RECOM Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Summary/Abstract: The idea of a “holistic approach” to transitional justice suggests that different strategies for dealing with the past such as truth-telling, criminal accountability, memory work, reparations and institutional reform, interact and complement each other. Their timing, sequencing and interrelation remain contentious though. In the specific case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the deep divisions embedded in the State structure and polity have been hindering dialogue across ethnic and political lines for the past decades. In addition, criminal accountability has been the predominant mechanism for dealing with the past. As a matter of fact, no official truth commission has ever been successfully established; while the panorama of non-official truth-telling initiatives has always been characterized by a certain degree of disarray. The challenge ahead is to find a strategy that matches Bosnia and Herzegovina’s specificity and priorities.

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