Welcome to the website on transitional justice and memory in the European Union
This website is aimed at researchers, historians, scholars and the general public interested in learning about the measures adopted by EU member states in order to deal with the crimes committed during the 20th century by repressive regimes in Europe. This area of study, known as transitional justice, refers to how societies address legacies of past human rights abuses, mass atrocity, or other forms of severe social trauma, including genocide or civil war, in order to build a more democratic, just, or peaceful future. The International Center for Transitional Justice has defined it as “the set of judicial and non-judicial measures that have been implemented by different countries in order to redress the legacies of massive human rights abuses”.
Europe has witnessed repressive regimes during much of the 20th century and only few countries have enjoyed continuous democratic regimes. This website presents the specific measures adopted by each EU member state to deal with these pasts through the creation of interactive maps. It has been conceived around 5 (five) areas of study which are divided in subareas and located in the right column of the website. The main areas of study are: 1) Duration of the repressive regimes; 2) Criminal Justice; 3) Justice for the victims or reparations; 4) Memorialization; 5) International Cooperation. In order to access the maps, please select one of the categories listed in the right column of the website. Detailed information will appear below the map by clicking on each EU country.
The website also provides a "comparative tool" of the measures adopted by each country that is available on the menu at the top of the website, together with information on legislation and case law by country.
This project is funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of the Spanish Government, CSO2011-15919-E.