Back to RJ Archive

The uses of truth commissions: Lessons for the world

Ntsebeza, Dumisa B
June 4, 2015

Source: (2000) In Truth v. justice: The morality of truth commissions, eds. Robert I. Rotberg and Dennis Thompson, 158-169. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Ntsebeza argues in this essay that the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) should serve as a model for other truth commissions in the future. To make this argument, Ntsebeza discusses several key matters: the opportunity for restoration of civil and human dignity to victims through telling their stories of victimization; ambiguities related to criminal justice and the exposure of truth, especially in connection with the controversy over the amnesty provision of the TRC; the question whether retribution is the only form of punishment; and the role of a truth commission as only one agent for social change in a transitional society.

Tags:

AbstractAfricaCourtsPoliticsPost-Conflict ReconciliationRJ in SchoolsStatutes and Legislation
Support the cause

We've Been Restoring Justice for More Than 40 Years

Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.

Donate Now