A Pointless Commission

Despite all good intentions, the plan to establish a human rights abuses commission announced by the Attorney General's Office a few weeks ago, is marked by serious problems. The Commission will have many stumbling blocks for various reasons.

One of these is that there is no longer any legal basis for the commission. In December 2006, the Constitutional Commission revoked Law No. 27/2004 on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In its considerations, the Court found that the law actually made reconciliation more difficult because of the need for a presidential amnesty if the person responsible and the victim had made their peace. The law also required an uncovering of the facts, a confession and forgiveness. If the truth behind a case could not be revealed, reconciliation would be difficult.

July 28, 2015