Paul Van Zyl : Why America Needs a Truth & Reconciliation Council
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:26AM 
photo by Kris Krug
Paul Van Zyl was an anti-apartheid organizer in South Africa. When Mandela became president, he became the executive secretary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and he’s now co-founder and EVP of the International Center for Transitional Justice.
He explains that in the four years from Mandela’s release from prison to free elections, an enormous amount of work had to be done. South Africa needed a new constitution, a shared parliament, and, controversially, amnesty for security forces.
Mandela decided that it wouldn’t be possible to end the conflict without such amnesty. But if ordinary people feel their interests are neglected, a peace deal will unravel. And amnesty deals are never popular with torture victims or families of the disappeared.
“I supported transition to democratic rule. But I was determined that it would not happen at the expense of victims. If murderers were able to get away with murder, we needed to address the needs of the victims.”
The South African TRC required perpetrators to confes crimes in public, and be cross-examined by the victims. Only if they did so in public would they receive amnesty. There was an element of shaming, the important acknowledgement of the injustices. And critically, it allowed victims to discover the truth about their loved ones.
The public testimony continued almost non-stop for 3 years, dominating the newspapers and nightly television news. It was impossible to ignore. And it started South Africa reimagining itself.
PopTech 2009: Paul Van Zyl from PopTech on Vimeo.
Africa, human rights, jusitce in Pop!Tech 2009
Reader Comments (11)
This is a good article,thank you for your share,I like it very much.Our products are superior in quality and moderate in price and are sure to be saleable in your market,by virtue of this superior quality, this product is often sold out in many areas. This new product is really much better than the previous one. You have to try it to believe it.replica hermes|
This is a good article,thank you for your share,I like it very much.Our products are superior in quality and moderate in price and are sure to be saleable in your market,by virtue of this superior quality, this product is often sold out in many areas. This new product is really much better than the previous one. You have to try it to believe it.hermes replica handbags|
Your article is very good! I like it very much,but If you can add more video and pictures can be much better, I have never read such a lovely article and I am coming back tomorrow to continue reading http://www.9apps.net/blog/2010/7/1/developing-for-android-decaf-ec2-client.html?lastPage=true#comment10664902.
Your essay was very good, in your articles I learned a lot. I'm honored to see such worthy of study of articles. This is the sea of knowledge. Monogram Motard Clutch
This article is great, like your article, hope can see you next article, you can also to know what our web site about satin clutch bag and wedding accessories for bride information , i hope it can bring you convenience.