Belgrade Circle

It was clear that one of the major problems preventing some of the regional countries from moving out from their dark and ominous past into a brighter democracy was that the state institutions have not undergone the necessary change, and have thus remained almost exactly the same. Neither the structures nor the personnel have changed sufficiently.
In deeply divided societies, where mistrust and fear are forefront characteristics of that society, there must be a bridge-building process and a commitment, not only to criminal justice, but also to political, economic and social justice. For that to be a reality, institutions, as well as individuals, must begin to change in the course of the implementation and operation of the long-term transitional justice process.
Building a democratic future after the collapse of Communism and in the (what seem to be) last days of nationalism, require a definitive legal and political demarcation between the new government and the old tyranny.
The process of transitional justice can help us learn what it is that a democratic society should and must not do.
Transitional justice is a legal framework and an administrative process carried out in times after the political transition/turnover, for the purpose of addressing the wrongdoings of the previous regime.