Parwez Besmel

Assistant Professor

Transitional Justice, Political Crimes, Human Rights, and International Criminal Court

Dr. Parwez Besmel research interests revolve around central questions of how societies emerging from periods of conflict and repression deal with the legacy of past war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Drawing from the theoretical framework of retributive and restorative justice, he investigates why certain nations choose the path of retributive justice, utilizing trials and legal mechanisms, while others opt for restorative justice exemplified by truth and reconciliation commission. Dr. Besmel is the recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. His recent award includes 2023 John F. Richards Fellowship, Afghanistan Research Grant aimed at advancing his research project that examines the International Criminal Court’s current investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan. Dr. Besmel is also a Fellow in the Global Justice Program at Yale University.

Selected Publications

Besmel, P. (2021). “A Holistic Approach to Transitional Justice for Afghanistan” in
Liam Leonard (Eds). Global Perspectives on People, Process, and Practice in
Criminal Justice (pp 195-213). IGI Global.

Besmel, P. (2020). The Pathway to Transitional Justice in Afghanistan. Journal of
Global South Studies, 37(2), 240-269.

Besmel, P., & Alvarez, A. (2017). Transitional justice and the legacy of Nuremberg:
The promise and problems of confronting atrocities in post-conflict societies. Journal
of Genocide Studies International, 11(2), 182-196.