accountability ultimately depends on a clear democratic transition.
“For a country undergoing a profound transformation, moving from a past of systematic human rights abuses to a democratic future where rights are protected, the pursuit of justice can appear daunting. Members of the old regime and their supporters have had the tables turned; they must now coexist with the new regime and it’s prodemocracy force” (Cardenas 2010).
“Central to the human rights problem in democratic transitions is the military regime that is left behind. The concern here is not so much with present and future conditions that would ensure the achievement of human rights as with the imperative to deal with unresolved issues. Thus the human rights question is a
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Peru serves as a prime example of this reconciliation. With the end of the “truth and reconciliation” process in 2003, Peru has tremendous progress at moving beyond the previous regime of violence (Nockerts 2004). Many other countries in Latin America alongside Peru have created truth commissions to expose human rights violations. “Truth commissions, temporary institutions created to pursue justice retroactivity, are far from simple or noncontentious creations. They can have numerous purposes and they require extensive resources and political commitment” (Cardenas 2010).
Truth commissions aim to accomplish give distinctive goals, fact-finding, empowering the victim, establishing counter impunity, evaluating institutions, and promoting reconciliation (Lecture RPOS425Z 2015). “Reconciliation has only recently been recognized as a necessary component of post-violence reconstruction” (Nockerts 2004). Reconciliation is noted as one of the most difficult challenges facing transitional democracies (Nockerts