Conceptualising transitional justice in Yemen: The interaction between the formal and the informal in the reconstruction of a justice system

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Yemen has witnessed decades of recurring violent armed conflict that has led to geographical, sect and community victimhood and grievances that continues to shape the current conflict. Deeply embedded structural inequality, and economic exclusion are perpetuated. When the current conflict will eventually come to an end, transitional justice needs to address those long-standing grievances. Yet, scholarship on transitional justice in the Yemeni context is sparse. Furthermore, most literature on transitional justice adopts Western-centric concepts that ignore local contexts, such as informal justice structures. This PhD project will address this gap. Based on an inductive approach, the project will lay the ground for a holistic, localised conceptualisation of transitional justice in Yemen. Furthermore, it will examine Yemen's unique tribal and informal justice structures that intersect and interact with the country's formal state-led legal institutions. Those structures might aid or undermine transitional justice efforts, and therefore need to be carefully understood. The project will utilise semi-structured interviews to gather data on people's experiences of the conflict, their grievances, their perception of justice and ways for its delivery. It will engage various victim groups and local leaders, such as Sheikhs. The research project will not only address an academic gap, but more importantly will offer a framework for future transitional justice in the country. Thus, it potentially contributes to reconciliation and peace in Yemen.