Inspired by People’s Tribunals such as the one organized by philosopher Bertrand Russell in 1966 to investigate American war crimes in the Vietnam War, as well as by artistic traditions like Brecht’s learning plays and the agitprop theatre of the early Soviet Union, civic courts have developed as both a theatrical form and a political tool. The 34th edition of The Art of Assembly builds on the ideas of its 20th episode by looking at concrete efforts to turn acts of symbolic justice into real change.
Warisha Farasat, advocate at the Supreme Court of India, argues that people’s tribunals are often more effective than official commissions of inquiry in investigating rights violations and formulating meaningful redress mechanisms. Human rights activist Harsh Mander reflects on the many people’s tribunals he has been involved in, addressing incidents of mass religious violence and the contested terrain of citizenship in Assam. Theatre maker Zuleikha Chaudhari has, over the past decade, examined law as performance, exploring the role of theatricality within legal systems and the ways in which legal truth is produced through performative means.
