Center for Justice and Accountability

Cja is a leading u.s.-based organization working with survivors and communities impacted by atrocity crimes in seeking truth, Justice, and redress. Through innovative high-impact litigation, cja has brought cases against human rights violators from bosnia, cambodia, chile, china, colombia, el salvador, guatemala, haiti, honduras, indonesia, liberia, peru, somalia, sri lanka, syria and the united states. Additionally, cja participates in other cases of importance to the human rights community as amicus curiae in human rights cases in the u.s. as well as advocacy before united nations and regional human rights bodies. Cja also supports initiatives that advance the united states government's commitment to criminally prosecute human rights abusers. Cja works on an ongoing basis with u.s. and international law enforcement. Cja integrates other innovative strategies to hold human rights abusers accountable. Cja pairs survivor-centered litigation with transitional Justice projects, in which cja works alongside lawyers and human rights defenders from impacted communities in joint case investigation and development. Cja engages in advocacy to ensure that there are legal remedies to hold human rights violators accountable, wherever they may be found. Cja partners with pro bono lawyers to litigate our cases. During the 2021-2022 fiscal year, cja's pro bono partners donated services and professional out of pocket expenses valued at approximately $6,673,214. Cja also leverages partnerships with leading academic centers, forensic, military and country experts, survivor coalitions, medical professionals, torture treatment centers, and frontline ngos. These partnerships are foundational to our success in investigating new cases, ensuring a survivor-centered approach to Justice, and engaging in transnational litigation that has impact in the countries where the crimes originally took place. The impact of cja's work can be measured in at least five important ways: 1. The use of cja's cases around the world as a catalyst and support for domestic Accountability movements.2. The development of a body of international human rights jurisprudence.3. The historic record of truth our cases create.4. The therapeutic benefits that survivors of gross human rights abuses experience as a result of participating in Justice processes.5. The domestication of international human rights norms in the united states through cja's human rights litigation in u.s. courts. Cja made significant progress in several of its cases before the courts on Accountability for atrocity crimes. Cja also filed briefs as amicus curiae in cases pending in u.s. appellate courts. Through its capacity building work, cja provides advice and assistance to local lawyers and human rights defenders on collection, preservation and analysis of evidence to assist in holding perpetrators of atrocity crimes accountable. More information is at www.cja.org.