Rethinking justice in the present

Mainstream discussions of transitional justice in Myanmar emphasise future punishment at the expense of dialogue, introspection and structural change.

The daily atrocities in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup have prompted a strong interest in transitional justice and its capacity to right wrongs and deter future human rights violations.

The parallel National Unity Government and allied ethnic armed organisations have made “TJ” one of the core objectives of the Spring Revolution, alongside overthrowing the military and establishing a federal democratic union. The National Unity Consultative Council, a resistance advisory body, published a policy paper in December 2023 with a TJ roadmap. Civil society groups and non-government organisations have meanwhile conducted a great number of workshops and public education campaigns on the topic.