The unique Basque peace process

Linking Basque and European generations for global transitional justice

Authors

  • Joxerramon Bengoetxea Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea - Universidad del País Vasco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1123

Keywords:

Transitional justice, Basque peace process, unilateral measures, amnesty, memory politics, truth and reconciliation commissions

Abstract

This paper considers the recent and unique case of transitional justice in the Basque Country. Its uniqueness, from a comparative perspective, lies in its unilateral character. It is mostly through the pressure of Basque Society, together with the tough stance of the criminal justice system of Spain that ETA has dissolved. The analysis of this process thus discusses some issues of transitional justice, in tension with formal or traditional justice, and the relevance of this new field in Europe, Spain and the Basque Country. The paper spells out the most significant initiatives in the field of transitional justice adopted in the Basque case, stressing the importance of civil society, and the range of issues arising in a post-conflict situation where different agents have significantly different agendas. The paper concludes by suggesting steps towards an inclusive agenda on memory and narratives of the conflict capable of delivering truth and reconciliation.

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Author Biography

Joxerramon Bengoetxea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea - Universidad del País Vasco

Ph.D. In Law, University of Edinburgh; Profesor titular of Jurisprudence, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Director of EHUgune. Coordinator for the UPV/EHU of the Oñati International Master in Sociology of Law and the Ph D Program in Sociology of Law. Member of the Academic Board of the Renato Treves International Ph D in Law and Society. Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
Zuzenbide Fakultatea
Manuel de Lardizabal, 2
E-20018 Donostia-San Sebastián

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Published

18-09-2019

How to Cite

Bengoetxea, J. (2019) “The unique Basque peace process: Linking Basque and European generations for global transitional justice”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 10(3), pp. 584–615. doi: 10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1123.

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