At
least 188 victims (witnesses), including 51 women, 35 perpetrators, alleged
perpetrators and adversely mentioned persons, and 23 Gambian Diaspora witnesses
have testified before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission
(TRRC), according to its executive secretary, Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow.
He
added that some alleged witches, one closed-door hearing and two protected
witness hearings were held during this period.
“From
the very start, the TRRC has operated on the principle that the ultimate
rationale for its establishment and the establishment of all truth commissions
is to prevent a recurrence of human right violations that happened in the
past,” Dr. Jallow said.
He
was speaking during a press briefing, in which he acknowledged before
journalists that the TRRC also operated on the conviction, based on verifiable
evidence, that truth commission’s reports and recommendations alone do not
necessarily prevent recurrence.
For
that reason, he said the TRRC adopted an operational strategy that allowed the
commission to investigate the past and create an impartial historical record of
human rights violations. This was done with a view to making recommendations to
the government at the end of its mandate. It also at the same time conducted outreach
activities that address those causes and enablers of dictatorship and political
impunity that lie outside of any institutional, administrative and legal
reforms that the commission may recommend in its final report.
“In
line with our dual process approach to the work of truth commissions with
hearings on one hand and outreach activities on the other; TRRC units have
conducted close to 100 town hall meetings, village dialogues, women’s and men’s
listening circles, and school visits across the country since October 2018. In
essence, the TRRC has consistently worked as a Janus-faced commission that,
while investigating and recording past human rights violations, has its sights
firmly set on helping build a Gambia in which citizens are empowered enough to
hold their government responsible and to say no to any signs of dictatorship or
human rights violations.”
He
indicated that the TRRC is lucky to be one of very few truth commissions in the
world to be given the power to grant reparations to victims; adding that most
truth commissions can only recommend reparations.
