Eric Stover

My Neighbor, My Enemy: Justice and Community in the Aftermath of Mass Atrocity

List of contributors Foreword Ariel Dorfman Acknowledgments Introduction: conflict, justice and reclamation Harvey M. Weinstein and Eric Stover Part I. Institutional Approaches to Justice: Introduction 1. A world unto itself? The application of international justice in the former Yugoslavia Laurel E. Fletcher and Harvey M. Weinstein 2. Legal responses to genocide in Rwanda Alison des Forges and Timothy Longman 3. Localizing justice: gacaca courts in post-genocide Rwanda Urusaro Alice Karekezi, Alphonse Nshimiyimana and Beth Mutamba 4. Exhumation of mass graves: balancing legal and humanitarian needs Eric Stover and Rachel Shigekane 5. Witnesses and the promise of justice in The Hague Eric Stover 6. Reparations in the aftermath of repression and mass violence Naomi Roht-Arriaza Part II. Social Reconstruction and Justice: Introduction 7. Neighbors again? Intercommunity relations after ethnic cleansing Dinka Corkalo, Dean Ajdukovic, Harvey M. Weinstein, Eric Stover, Dino Djipa and Miklos Biro 8. Memory, identity, and community in Rwanda Timothy Longman and Theoneste Rutagengwa 9. Attitudes toward justice and social reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia Miklos Biro, Dean Ajdukovic, Dinka Corkalo, Dina Djipa, Petar Milin and Harvey M. Weinstein 10. Connecting justice to human experience: attitudes toward accountability and reconciliation in Rwanda Timothy Longman, Phuong Pham and Harvey M. Weinstein 11. Public education and social reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Dinka Corkalo, Naomi Levy, Dino Abazovic, Bronwyn Leebaw, Dean Ajdukovic, Dino Djipa and Harvey M. Weinstein 12. Confronting the past in Rwandan schools Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Deo Kambanda, Beth Lewis Samuelson, Innocent Mugisha, Immaculee Mukashema, Evode Mukama, Jean Mutabaruka, Harvey M. Weinstein and Timothy Longman Part III. Survivors and Justice: Introduction 13. Art out of the rubble Pamela Blotner 14. Trust and betrayal in war Dean Ajdukovic and Dinka Corkalo 15. Empathy and rehumanization after mass violence Jodi Halpern and Harvey M. Weinstein Conclusion: a common objective, a universe of alternatives Eric Stover and Harvey M. Weinstein Index.

Returning home: forced conscription, reintegration, and mental health status of former abductees of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda

BackgroundSince the late 1980s, the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), a spiritualist rebel group in northern Uganda, has killed and mutilated thousands of civilians and abducted an estimated 52,000 to 75,000 people to serve as soldiers, porters, and sex slaves for its commanders. This study examines the types of violence to which former abductees have been exposed and the extent to which these acts have affected their psychological well-being.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study of 2,875 individuals selected through a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling design conducted in 8 districts of northern Uganda. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed with symptoms for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression as the main outcome measures.ResultsOne-third of the respondents (33%) self-reported having experienced abduction (49% among the Acholi, the largest tribal group in northern Uganda). Over half (56%) of all the respondents and over two-thirds of those who experienced abduction met the criteria for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Multivariate analysis shows that several factors increased the risk of former LRA abductees developing symptoms of PTSD. These factors included gender (females were more susceptible than males), being a member of the Acholi ethnic group, participating in or witnessing a cumulative number of traumatic events, and encountering difficulties re-integrating into communities after abduction. Factors associated with increased risk of meeting criteria for symptoms of depression included older age of males at the time of abduction, lower score on social relationship scale, high incidence of general traumatic event exposure, high incidence of forced acts of violence, and problems reintegrating into communities after abduction.ConclusionAbduction and forced conscription of civilians has affected the psychological well-being of a significant number of northern Ugandans. The sources of psychological trauma are multiple, ranging from witnessing to being forced to commit violent acts, and compounded by prolonged exposure to violence, often for months or years. Community-based mental health care services and reintegration programs are needed to facilitate the reintegration of former abductees back into their communities.

The missing in the aftermath of war: When do the needs of victims' families and international war crimes tribunals clash?

While international criminal tribunals have increasingly relied on forensic evidence to support prosecutions for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, these investigations have resulted in only a small number of the deceased being identified because of evidentiary needs or a lack of resources. It is argued that an international network of forensic scientists should be established to develop standards in this field. These should be guided by the principle that identification of the missing is just as important as collecting evidence.

The Lord's Resistance Army and Forced Conscription in Northern Uganda

On 13 October 2005, the International Criminal Court unsealed warrants of arrest for five senior leaders of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) for the forced conscription of children and other war crimes in northern Uganda. We compiled a database of 25,231 children and youth who had been registered by receptions centers in northern Uganda after their return from the LRA. Most of the LRA returnees were thirteen to eighteen years old (37 percent) and nineteen to thirty years old (24 percent). Twenty-four percent of the LRA returnees were female and 76 percent were male. The average length of abduction was 342 days, and the median number of days of abduction was ninety-two days. Among women aged nineteen to thirty years old, the average length of abduction was four and one half years. At the multivariate level, gender, age, and the interaction between them were associated with length of captivity (F-Statistic = 229.8, p-value = 0.0001). Using triangulation methods, we estimate the LRA abducted 54,000 to 75,000 people, including 25,000 to 38,000 children, into their ranks between 1986 and 2006.

The Breaking of Bodies and Minds: Torture, Psychiatric Abuse, and the Health Professions.

We are inclined to regard torture and deliberate psychiatric abuse as matters that fall in the other fellows backyard and of little concern to the practicing physician. The extent, however, of torture practices throughout the world as well as the known atrocities by German physicians during the Holocaust have produced ripples that engulf us all. This volume, resulting from the efforts of the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is an impressive collection of detailed and well-

Latino Workers and Human Rights in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

This Article describes a research project designed to assess the vulnerabilities of Latino workers employed in rebuilding New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Professors Fletcher, Pham, Stover and Vinck analyze the results, examining legal and human rights issues including job security, safety, fair pay, discrimination, and access to adequate housing and health care. To assess the problems that these

Confronting Duch : civil party participation in Case 001 at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is unique because it is the first international criminal tribunal to allow victims of alleged crimes to act as civil parties at trial. This means that victims can have a role at the ECCC beyond being called as witnesses. After presenting the history of victim participation in

Inequalities and Prospects: Ethnicity and Legal Status in the Construction Labor Force After Hurricane Katrina

The arrival of Latino immigrant workers and the weakening of federal labor regulations after Hurricane Katrina raised concerns about labor conditions and workers’ rights. We carried out a survey of workers at 212 randomly selected addresses in the city of New Orleans, successfully interviewing 212 out of 351 workers approached (40% refusal rate). Workers were asked about their demographic, employment, and health characteristics, as well as violations of human rights they may have experienced. The survey was supplemented with in-depth qualitative interviews with Latino workers and key informants in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our study showed that Latino workers, particularly undocumented workers, experienced lower wages, more nonpayment of wages and/or overtime wages, and fewer worker protections than non-Latino workers. The poorer treatment of Latino and undocumented workers is thought to reflect employers’ perception of them as a disposable labor force. Indeed, few of the workers who arrived after Katrina, and especially low percentages of Latinos and undocumented workers, intended to settle in New Orleans.

Justice on Hold. Accountability and social reconstruction in Iraq

Having invaded Iraq without UN Security Council authorization, the United States was unable to convince many countries to take a meaningful role in helping Iraq deal with its violent past. Always insisting that it would “go it alone”, the United States implemented accountability measures without properly consulting the Iraqi people. Nor did the United States access assistance from the United Nations and international human rights organizations, all of which possess considerable knowledge and experience of a wide range of transitional justice mechanisms. In the end, the accountability measures introduced by the Americans either backfired or were hopelessly flawed. What are needed in Iraq are a secure environment and a legitimate authority to implement a comprehensive transitional justice strategy that reflects the needs and priorities of a wide range of Iraqis. Such a strategy should contain several measures, including prosecutions, reparations, a balanced approach to vetting, truth-seeking mechanisms and institutional reform.

Human Rights and Mass Disaster: Lessons from the 2004 Tsunami

This paper describes the results of an investigation into how the December, 2004 tsunami and its aftermath affected the human rights of the survivors. Teams of researchers interviewed survivors, government officials, representatives of international and local non-governmental organisations, UN officials, the military, police, and other key informants in India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, and Thailand. We also analysed newspaper articles, reports released by governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and private humanitarian aid groups, and we examined the laws and policies related to survivors’ welfare in the affected countries. We found worsening of prior human rights violations, inequities in aid distribution, lack of accountability and impunity, poor coordination of aid, lack of community participation in reconstruction, including coastal redevelopment. Corruption and pre-existing conflict negatively impact humanitarian interventions. We make recommendations to international agencies, states, and local health service providers. A human rights framework offers significant protection to survivors and should play a critical role in disaster response. Asia Pac J Public Health 2007; 19(Special Issue): 52–59.