Commission on Truth and Reconciliation
After apartheid ended, South Africa needed to heal. The TRC let victims of apartheid tell their stories in public. It also let people who did bad things during apartheid confess — and if they told the whole truth, they could be forgiven (amnesty). It was like a national healing session for the whole country.
Created under
Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act 34 of 1995
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Outcome
Report released · 29 October 1998
Published a 5-volume final report. Granted 1,512 amnesties from 7,112 applications. Identified perpetrators from all sides of the conflict. Prosecutions were promised but largely never followed through. Many survivors felt justice was incomplete.
Legal framework
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