International Day for Right to Truth concerning Human Rights Violations

International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims - 24 March

By Tanisha Brahmin/ GICJ

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King Jr.

The right to truth pertaining to gross human rights violations is a symbol of a vital principle of international law with moral responsibility. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the “International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims” [1]to recognize the moral as well as legal necessity of acknowledging victims’ suffering and ensuring accountability,

Continued violence, such as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the intensification of the Middle Eastern conflict between Iran and Israel, creates insurmountable challenges in terms of the impunity and violation of the international humanitarian law and the human rights law.

History

One of the first statements about this principle was the one made about cases related to enforced disappearances in Latin America in the late twentieth century. The families of disappeared individuals demanded to know their whereabouts. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights formulated the right to know the truth as part of the right to justice and effective remedy. The legal importance of the right to the truth is that it has been associated with the transitional justice tools which include truth commissions, criminal prosecutions, reparation programs as well as institutional reforms. Such mechanisms target not only to ensure accountability but also to make sure that the lived experiences of the victims are documented and are also written in the history of a nation.

The United Nations Framework on the Right to Truth

The United Nations also gives the right to truth a strong identity as an indispensable element in the protection of international human rights.It acknowledges that victims of grave human rights violations and their families have the right to know the circumstances under which such violations occurred and the perpetrators [2]. As defined by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the right to truth is an autonomous right that cannot be negotiated and it is intertwined with the obligation of states to undertake effective investigations and offer remedies and compensation [3]. The United Nations also stresses that truth is applicable in personal and group aspects, that it not only restores the sense of dignity of victims, but also allows the societies to address the history of abuses and stop their future proliferation [4].

Importantly, the UN frames truth as a pathway to justice, reconciliation, and peace. It highlights that uncovering the truth exposes impunity, facilitates accountability, and strengthens the rule of law [5].In its contemporary stance, the UN also calls for the protection of human rights defenders, journalists, and victims who seek truth, recognizing their role in sustaining democratic transparency [6].Thus, the United Nations positions the right to truth as a cornerstone of justice systems and a critical safeguard for the deterrence of grave human rights violations.

Strategic Framework for Advancing the Right to Truth

Under the duty to deliver effective remedy under international law, the United Nations provides that states need to ensure that victims and families have access to information, whether in the form of official records or findings of the investigation of gross human rights violations, to hold those responsible accountable and uncover the truth [7].

The International Committee of the Red Cross plays a vital role in operationalizing the right to truth in conflict situations by working to reconnect families separated by armed conflict, disasters, and migration [8].It facilitates the tracing of missing persons, exchange of family messages, and reunification efforts, thereby addressing the informational gap faced by victims and their families [9]. The ICRC further affirms that families have a right to know the fate and whereabouts of missing relatives, a principle recognized under customary international humanitarian law[10].In collaboration with State authorities, it supports mechanisms to clarify the fate of the missing, ensuring compliance with international humanitarian obligations[11].

States should also guarantee access to information for victims and families, including official records and investigation findings, as part of their obligation to provide an effective remedy under international law [12]. The United Nations Human Rights Council has requested international investigative missions when domestic systems lack competence; especially in conflict-torn areas. In their right to dignity and justice, a victim-centered policy, such as participation, reparation, and support, is necessary.

Prevailing Legal Paradigm

The freedom of the truth continues to be contested in 2026 because of the armed conflicts and limited transparency. Religious divide has caused massive civilian death and human displacement, with more than 115,000 displaced and frequent claims of illegal attacks on the civilian infrastructure according to the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict. Accountability has been highlighted in the United Nations where independent investigations of such incidents are to be undertaken. At the same time, the Iran-Israel escalation has led to massive civilian deaths and so-called seizure of international humanitarian law, as over 1,000 people were reported dead. These wars bring to light the pressing need to seek the truth with sincerity to oppose falsehoods, deliver justice, and promote the dignity of the victims.

Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) takes a very strong position against gross violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. It condemns war crimes, crimes against humanity, enforced disappearance, torture and indiscriminate assault on civilians especially in armed conflicts.GICJ urges States to take coordinated action to break the chain of impunity and it emphasizes that inability to investigate violations and convict perpetrators weakens the rule of law. It urges States and international organizations to conduct independent, transparent and impartial investigations especially in conflict zones where information about the truth is usually limited.

GICJ urges States to protect the rights of victims including the right to truth, justice and reparations. This stance can be seen as a wider adherence to the fight against impunity and the need to make sure that such acts are deterred, thus protecting human dignity and ensuring access to justice.

References

[1]https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2020-03-24/secretary-generals-message-the-international-day-for-the-right-the-truth-concerning-gross-human-rights-violations-and-for-the-dignity-of-victims-scroll-down-for

[2] https://www.un.org/en/observances/right-to-truth-day

[3] https://www.un.org/en/observances/right-to-truth-day

[4] https://press.un.org/en/2015/sgsm16614.doc.htm

[5] https://iran.un.org/en/46444-un-chief-calls-protection-people-who-seek-truth-justice

[6] https://iran.un.org/en/46444-un-chief-calls-protection-people-who-seek-truth-justice

[7] G.A. Res. 65/196, The Right to the Truth, U.N. Doc. A/RES/65/196 (Dec. 21, 2010).

[8] https://www.icrc.org/en/what-we-do/reconnecting-families.

[9] https://www.icrc.org/en/what-we-do/reconnecting-families.

[10] Int’l Comm. of the Red Cross [ICRC], Customary International Humanitarian Law, Rule 117 (2005).

[11] Int’l Comm. of the Red Cross [ICRC], The Missing and Their Families (2003)