When perpetrators still live nearby, witnesses understand the danger of telling what they know. Some are not willing to speak at all, intimidated by implicit or explicit threats from those involved in past crimes. Despite the murder of Bishop Gerardi, Guatemala's official truth commission, which was created by the Peace Accords signed in 1996, is continuing its investigations and is expected to release its final report in late 1998. To the extent that official truth is a step towards a full and inclusive national memory which allows the voices of the victims and survivors to be heard, it is a crucial step in transitional processes. But for victims and survivors of state repression, truth is rarely sufficient.
Most victims see official truth-telling as only a first step towards real justice.
A truth commission can only begin to address the considerable needs of a transitional society. The crimes of the past are not easily put to rest, and truth without justice in the courts will be unsatisfactory to many. But it is clear that official truthseeking has taken a firm place in the toolbag of transitional mechanisms to address past crimes, and it is also often a central demand of victims and human rights groups. Many past truth commissions have had significant limitations. In some cases, restrictions were written into their mandates, while in others, they were granted limited time frames or resources to carry out their investigations.