NRC Widens Its Doors To Victims Staying Abroad

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) is setting up a website at Ghana's foreign missions to publicise its activities to create an avenue for victims and people with complaints of human rights abuses in unconstitutional regimes who cannot come back home to lodge their complaints.

The Commission's Chairman, Mr Justice Kweku Etru Amua-Sekyi announced this at a press briefing at the Independence Square at Accra, the temporary office on Thursday. He said when the website becomes operational, victims and people with complaints would be given the modalities to make complaints and statements. He said some people living abroad with complaints have indicated their desire to the Commission to come back home at their own cost to file their complaints and the arrangement for the creation of the website was to give a fair opportunity to them.

He said the Commission would seek the approval of the authorities to grant immunity to people who were tried in absentia to be able to come back to lodge complaints. Mr Justice Amua-Sekyi said as at Wednesday, he saw only one white man coming to make a complaint and added the doors of the Commission are opened to both Ghanaians and foreigners for statements and complaints.

The NRC Chairman said a cumulative number of 128 complaints and statements have been taken in Accra since the exercise began on Tuesday. The Kumasi zonal office had 50 and that of Takoradi was 11. Most of the complaints were on torture, brutalities, murder, disappearance and confiscation of property and spanning unconstitutional periods from 24 February 1966 to 21 August 1969; 13 January 1972 to 23 September 1979; and 31 December 1981 to 6 January 1993.

He said all complaints of human rights abuses brought before the Commission would be scrutinised and subjected to further investigations by the Commission's team of investigators.

The team comprises experienced and retired police investigators, retired officers of Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and others. After investigations, the dockets would be forwarded to the Attorney

General's Office for advice. Mr Justice Amua-Sekyi compared the work of the Commission to that of a court and said that some of the complaints would be heard, others would be dismissed and some would not be under the jurisdiction of the Commission. He indicated that the opinion of the legal team of the Commission is not binding on it.

He said among the compensation to victims would include monetary payments, scholarships to victims' children and erection of monument in remembrance of victims' sacrifices. Mr Amua-Sekyi asked those who would make complaints and statement to bring original of documents and the Commission would make copies and give the originals back to them.

Meanwhile, five persons including a woman lodged complaints of injustice and human rights abuses at the Takoradi Regional Office of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) at its second day of sitting at Takoradi on Wednesday.

The Zonal officer of the NRC, Mr James B. Acquah-Harrison told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the addition brought to 12, the number of cases before the commission, since it started work on September 3. Women filed two out of the 12 cases. Mr Acquah-Harrison said the Commission has lined up a series of radio talk shows and press conferences to sensitise the people on its work and also direct potential complainants to the offices of the Commission.

He said the Commission would use churches with extended branches in the region to disseminate information on its activities. Mr Acquah-Harrison however stressed that the Commission is not a court but a forum to listen to the injured and aggrieved persons, adding that victims' information or complainants would be treated with confidentiality. He said this notwithstanding, the NRC could summon anyone to appear before it to give evidence. We are here to identify hurts, find means of avoiding and alleviating them, for a peaceful co-existence".