The problem of truth in war crimes trials
The author discusses the relationship between the truth and criminal trial in general, with a special focus on war crimes trials and their consequences for the fragile processes of consolidation of violated collective identities in post-conflict states. The authors challenge the idea that a crimi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Međunarodni Problemi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0025-8555/2012/0025-85551201034F.pdf |
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| _version_ | 1849250997889662976 |
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| author | Fatić Aleksandar Bulatović Aleksandra |
| author_facet | Fatić Aleksandar Bulatović Aleksandra |
| author_sort | Fatić Aleksandar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The author discusses the relationship between the truth and criminal trial in general, with a special focus on war crimes trials and their consequences for the fragile processes of consolidation of violated collective identities in post-conflict states. The authors challenge the idea that a criminal trial is a search for the truth, and present a philosophical argument to the effect that the trial is in fact an event conforming to the model of what the author calls “quasi-epistemological games”, rather than the model of an epistemological engine. The purpose of the trial is quasi-epistemological, because the model of an epistemological engine entails that the trial is primarily a search for the truth, while this is not the case with criminal trials in general, and especially with war crimes trials. He argues that, while the criminal trial readily invites the truth of the events if it is discovered, it can be and often is both valid and valuable regardless of whether “the truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth” is discovered in its course. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-966a797b1924480b809253aa9eb01dfd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0025-8555 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Međunarodni Problemi |
| spelling | doaj-art-966a797b1924480b809253aa9eb01dfd2025-08-20T03:57:04ZengInstitute of International Politics and Economics, BelgradeMeđunarodni Problemi0025-85552012-01-01641345210.2298/MEDJP1201034FThe problem of truth in war crimes trialsFatić AleksandarBulatović AleksandraThe author discusses the relationship between the truth and criminal trial in general, with a special focus on war crimes trials and their consequences for the fragile processes of consolidation of violated collective identities in post-conflict states. The authors challenge the idea that a criminal trial is a search for the truth, and present a philosophical argument to the effect that the trial is in fact an event conforming to the model of what the author calls “quasi-epistemological games”, rather than the model of an epistemological engine. The purpose of the trial is quasi-epistemological, because the model of an epistemological engine entails that the trial is primarily a search for the truth, while this is not the case with criminal trials in general, and especially with war crimes trials. He argues that, while the criminal trial readily invites the truth of the events if it is discovered, it can be and often is both valid and valuable regardless of whether “the truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth” is discovered in its course.http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0025-8555/2012/0025-85551201034F.pdfsearch for the truthquasi-epistemological gameslegitimacywar crimestrialscollective identities |
| spellingShingle | Fatić Aleksandar Bulatović Aleksandra The problem of truth in war crimes trials Međunarodni Problemi search for the truth quasi-epistemological games legitimacy war crimes trials collective identities |
| title | The problem of truth in war crimes trials |
| title_full | The problem of truth in war crimes trials |
| title_fullStr | The problem of truth in war crimes trials |
| title_full_unstemmed | The problem of truth in war crimes trials |
| title_short | The problem of truth in war crimes trials |
| title_sort | problem of truth in war crimes trials |
| topic | search for the truth quasi-epistemological games legitimacy war crimes trials collective identities |
| url | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0025-8555/2012/0025-85551201034F.pdf |
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