Transitional justice and the diaspora: Examining the impact of the Haitian diaspora on the Haitian truth commission

ABSTRACT Truth commissions are a specialized form of commission of inquiry, established to confront the legacies of past human rights abuses and atrocities. While it is recognized that a number of different actors are responsible for the creation of truth commissions and other mechanisms of transitional justice, little is understood about the role of the diaspora. This paper details the influence of the Haitian diaspora in Montreal, Canada, in the creation of a truth commission in Haiti in 1995, the Commission Nationale de Vérité et de Justice. It demonstrates the need to better understand the importance of the diaspora in truth commissions and other forms of transitional justice.