We are pleased to announce the publication of the article Justice on Hold: Explaining the Reluctance of Victims to Seek Accountability in the International Journal of Transitional Justice (Oxford University Press).
The article, co-authored by Iosif Kovras, Elpida Vasiliou, and Nikandros Ioannides, examines a central puzzle in transitional justice research: why victims do not always seek accountability, even when legal avenues are available to them.
Drawing on research with families of missing persons in Cyprus, the study explores how victims navigate the tensions between humanitarian priorities, truth recovery, and demands for justice. The findings demonstrate that the decision not to pursue accountability should not necessarily be interpreted as passivity or indifference. Instead, victims may strategically prioritise the recovery and identification of missing loved ones, particularly when accountability processes are perceived as potentially undermining humanitarian objectives.
By foregrounding the agency of victims and their families, the article contributes to broader debates on transitional justice, victim participation, and the complex relationship between truth, justice, and reconciliation in post-conflict societies.
The publication forms part of DISACT’s ongoing research on enforced disappearances and their long-term social, political, and humanitarian consequences.
The article is available online here.