Why Justice for Ukraine AND Russia Goes Through South Africa | Dr. Clivia von Dewitz

Originally published on 10 Apr 2025.

The lies, omissions, and contradictions of the War in Ukraine are still rampant. That also holds true for warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed during this war. How can there ever be healing after all sides in this war accuse each other of the most horrendous crimes imaginable? Well, healing requires justice, and justice requires truth.The most instructive example for how a process of seeking justice can bring some healing to the victims of mass-violence—on all sides—is South Africa's approach to deal with the crimes committed by both, whites and blacks during the apartheid regime. My guest today, Dr. Clivia von Dewitz, argues that this experience holds important lessons for Russia and Ukraine, too, as justice begins with the search for truth.Dr. Dewitz is a judge at a District Court in Germany. In 1997 she completed an internship at the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and later researched for many years the role of restorative justice in Canada, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and the United States.She is also a trained mediator in criminal and civil law, and most recently she published a book with the title “A Peace Commission for the Ukraine Conflict: Could South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission be a Model?”Links:German Book Link: “Gerechtigkeit durch Wiedergutmachung?”: https://westendverlag.de/Gerechtigkei...English Book Link:https://www.amazon.de/Peace-Commissio...Peace Institute: https://peacemaking.institute/english/Homepage Clivia von Dewitz https://coachingcvd.info/