Domestic courts routinely prosecute human rights abuses despite a lack of state incentives—a phenomenon that seems counterintuitive.

New research reveals this puzzle stems from local, private struggles against past repression. Victims and lawyers have increasingly pursued their own criminal cases over decades.

This cumulative effort—referred to as "prosecutorial momentum"—has unexpectedly influenced official systems.

The study combines a novel dataset with mixed methods to show how private prosecutions motivate sustained domestic enforcement efforts.