The Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) will be holding a plenary meeting for victims at the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) conference room on April 27, 2022, from 9am to 3pm.

The announcement was made by the chairperson of the commission, Gabrielle Mclntyre, among other issues she raised, concerning the commission, during its last scheduled session on April 7, 2022 for complaints to be heard.

In this last session three complainants – one in closed and two in open sessions – were heard.

As earlier reported, the commission has been working with the reparation focus group on the development of a reparation policy. The policy is to guide the commission’s recommendations on reparations for allegations of human rights violations it has determined established.

Mrs Mclntyre stated that with the assistance of the focus group, the commission has a policy agreed that it wishes to share with as many of its complainants as possible, to ascertain broad agreement with what is being proposed in the policy. She noted that the victims’ plenary will be led by those complainants and others who have assisted the commission in the development of the policy.

In advance of the plenary meeting, the commission is currently attempting to send the policy, especially through e-mails, to as many of its complainants as possible. It is also inviting any complainant who wishes to have a hard copy to come to the office to collect one.

Speaking on the perpetrator notifications that are currently being served in relation to 46 cases that the commission has to date finally determined, Mrs Mclntyre said that those notifications will be continued to be served as more cases are closed.

She added that as has been made clear in those notifications, the findings of the commission are findings of fact and they are not findings made in a criminal legal sense. However any person who receives a perpetrator notification is also advised of the ability to file for amnesty before the commission in relation to the notification served. The commission has a perpetrator support officer on hand to assist in providing any information to assist the perpetrator in making a decision on a petition for amnesty. The perpetrators has to also bear in mind that to succeed on any such petition, they must make a full and frank disclosure and a sincere apology to victims.

In providing an update in regards to the number of complaints heard, Mrs Mclntyre stated that up to the last scheduled hearing session on Thursday April 7, 2022, the commission has heard 363 complaints out of the 374 admissible complaints that were scheduled to be heard.

She noted that with respect to 11 cases filed, they unfortunately may not be heard as the complainants have not responded to the commission’s request to schedule them.

Of those 363 complaints heard, 46 have been determined, 19 are in circulation for deliberation and another 30 are being drafted thus leaving a huge number to commence in the remaining period.

Mrs Mclntyre said that not all of the 46 determinations can be fully reasoned by the commission but findings will be made with respect to the application of the reparations policy.

She noted that in addition the commission is still preparing its final report but given the time constraint, it may not be comprehensive as they would have wished.

She added that they are doing their upmost to ensure that the report contains a good representation of the commission’s findings including appropriate recommendations in line with the commission’s objective to ensure that human rights violations do not recur.

Source: Seychelles Nation