NRC Ends Public Sittings Today

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) will today, July 13 bring down the curtain on its public hearing. The commission would retire thereafter to compile its report and recommendations to government. The report writing and recommendations stage marks a crucial milestone in the work of the commission as many people would be anxiously waiting to assess it.

Many people would be looking forward to see how Ghanaians come to terms with the events of the past and how to move ahead. Since it started the public hearings on January 14, 2003, the commission has visited all the regional capitals to hear testimonies of victims of human rights abuses, although most of the cases were heard in Accra.

The commission was set up by Act 622, to among other things, investigate cases of violations and human rights abuses and chronic these events with a view to obviating their recurrence. However, the Act made provisions for people who suffered violations or abuses during constitutional governments between March 7, 1957 and January 6, 1993, to also petition. The president appointed the nine-member commission April 11, 2002. The commission started receiving complaints on September 3, 2002, while the public hearings started on January 14, 2003.

The initial time-frame for the commission had to be extended by the president in view of the many cases it had to tackle. During the testimonies, some of the witnesses conceded to issuing instructions for the perpetration of certain brutalities and subsequently apologised to their victims. Some personalities who had been associated with certain brutalities and allegations also used the hearings to clear their names. As Ghanaians await the report, they would also expect the commission to bring to the fore the socio-cultural milieu in which the abuses were perpetrated.