EVENTS
Letting Go of the Past, Losing a Hold on the Future?
11/02/2008 - On February 11, 2008 Impunity Watch hosted a panel discussion in The Hague, where it explored the uneasy relationship between accountability and political stability in post-conflict states.In countries emerging from periods of violence, political elites often feel tempted to let go of the past in the hope of achieving short-term political stability. But just as often, such sanctioned impunity ends up destabilising these societies in the long run and undermining the peace it may have temporarily brought about. Guatemala and Serbia are striking examples of countries, whose failure to face the past affects the daily lives of their citizens more than a decade after the end of hostilities.
These issues were debated by a panel of experts at the IW event held in The Hague's famous political cafe, Dudok. The panel comprised Bruce Clark of the Economist magazine, Paul Seils of the International Criminal Court, Veronika Szente-Goldston of Human Rights Watch and Egbert Wesselink of IKV/Pax Christi. The debate was introduced by representatives of two IW partner organisations: Claudia Paz of the ICCPG and Sonja Bisersko of the Serbian Helsinki Committee.