Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like systemSuffolk University, College of Arts & Sciences, Center for Restorative Justice, http://www.suffolk.edu/college/centers/15970.php What is Restorative Justice? that was created in South Africa after the end of apartheid.Though it is a common claim that the TRC was a restorative justice body, it has been argued that the connection between the TRC and restorative justice is not as straightforward and unproblematic as often assumed. See b C.B.N. Restorative Justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Process, South African Journal of Philosophy 32(1), 10–35 (click to read)  Witnesses who were victims of gross human rights violations during apartheidIncluding Sharpeville massacre were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings. 

Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution.

The TRC, the first of the 1003 held internationally to stage public hearings, was seen by many as a crucial component of the transition to full and free democracy in South Africa. It was controversial to some because many people who committed crimes were either acquitted or never prosecuted."Truth Telling, Identities, and Power in South Africa and Guatemala" , International Center for Transitional Justice. Retrieved 5 March 2019.

References

Category:20th century in South Africa
Category:1995
Category:1996 in Africa
Category:Apartheid
Category:Nelson Mandela