Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)

South Africa, created by a 1995 act. The best-known commission of all, and the one that made "truth and reconciliation" a household phrase. Chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and covering violations from March 1960 to May 1994, it worked through three committees: human rights violations, reparation and rehabilitation, and amnesty. The amnesty bargain is what sets it apart: perpetrators could apply for amnesty if they made full disclosure and showed a political motive. It received 7,116 applications and rejected most of them, granting 1,167 in full. The weak point came afterward. Some 800 cases went to prosecutors, and the lack of follow-up on prosecutions is often called one of its most troubling legacies.