Justice, Reconciliation, and the Future of Iran

As Iran goes through a historical transition from authoritarianism to democracy, a crucial question in building a culture of human rights is accountability of political leaders for past human rights abuses. In this regard, the Iran People's Tribunal, a victim-based truth-commission-in-exile is a remarkable grassroots development, established at the request of mourning mothers who lost their children in the mass-executions of the 1980s.  With the testimony of over one hundred witnesses, including Bahá’ís, and widespread media coverage reaching millions in Iran, it has forced the Islamic Republic to admit the mass-executions of the 1980s and to even admit that it was a mistake.  What can we learn from this experiment in accountability and how can it be developed into a broader movement for justice and building a culture of human rights?