An important dimension of transitional criminal justice concerns the judiciary and the maladministration of justice. Key cases heard by military and common courts in two periods in Poland, namely 1944-1956 (Stalinist period) and 1981-1983 (martial law), have been examined. I am interested in comparing my findings to developments in other former Communist states, with a particular focus on the Balkans. I am presently researching the trials conducted in the nascent years of the Albanian dictatorship (1944-1951).