Problems of transitional justice in Hungary: An analysis of the people's tribunals in post-war Hungary and the treatment of female perpetrators

The paper analyses the process how post WW II justice system the people's tribunals were set up in Hungary based on the files of the people's court trials. It reviews the scholarly literature on the people's tribunals in Hungary, examining in particular assessments of the practice of the people's tribunals and it is also analysing the tribunals' treatment of female perpetrators. The aim is to demonstrate how the absence of a systematic scholarly approach and the presence of various political ideologies have influenced previous research on the subject as well as the conclusions drawn by historians. The developing scholarly research on female perpetrators, members of the Arrow Cross movement is giving additional insights on gender dimension of not only the retroactive justice but also of violence against Jews.