Forgiveness and transitional justice in the Czech Republic
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Journal of Conflict Resolution
Publication Date
6-1-2006
Volume
50
Issue
3
First Page
339
Last Page
367
Keywords
transitional justice, forgiveness, victims, Czech Republic
Abstract
This article examines major theoretical assumptions about forgiveness by victims of human rights abuses in the context of transitional justice in the Czech Republic. The authors hypothesize that forgiveness is facilitated by restoring equality between victims and perpetrators, namely: individual, social and political empowerment of victims; decreasing the superior position of perpetrators, especially through their punishment; and a repentant gesture of perpetrators towards victims, especially by apologizing. The results of path analysis confirm that religious belief, individual, social, and political empowerment, punishment, and apology directly promote forgiveness. This enables the authors to distinguish four types of forgiveness: religious, reparatory, retributive, and reconciliatory forgiveness. They suggest that policy interventions that promote forgiveness may not be mutually exclusive as often proposed in the dilemmas of transitional justice.
DOI
10.1177/0022002706286950
Print ISSN
00220027
E-ISSN
15528766
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2006 SAGE Publications
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
David, R., & Choi, S. Y. P. (2006). Forgiveness and transitional justice in the Czech Republic. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 50(3), 339-367. doi: 10.1177/0022002706286950