This new book examines the relationship between culture and respect for human rights. It departs from the oft-made assumption that culture is closely linked to ideas about community. Instead, it reveals culture as a quality possessed by the individual with a serious impact on his/her ability to enjoy the rights and freedoms as recognized in international human rights law in meaningful and effective ways. This understanding redirects attention towards a range of issues that have long been marginalized, but which warrant a central place in human rights research and on the international human...

This book examines the role of courts in times of transition. The book focuses on judicial experiences from the Iberoamerican region, in particular Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Spain and Guatemala, exploring the extent to which national courts have been able to shoulder the task of investigating and prosecuting grave crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed in the context of a previous repressive rule or current conflict. The volume contains contributions from judges, prosecutors, and scholarly experts in the region. It offers first-hand experiences and expert...