Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in Togo

Installed on last May 29, following its creation under a presidential decree in last February, the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Nicodeme Barrigah, took advantage of a first workshop on transitional justice, organized by the High Commissioner for Human Rights from July 29-2, 2009 in Notse, Togo.

The workshop which was attended by several international experts on transitional justice, revolved around the following themes: the policy of the Government of Togo in the field of transitional justice, truth-seeking, international crimes, the relation between a commission and the judicial system, memory and memorialization, institutional reforms, reparation, development of the final report as well as case studies including the case of Morocco.

Mr. Hamid El Kam, Director of the Center for Documentation, Information and Training in Human Rights (CDIFDH) and former executive at the Moroccan Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), took part in this seminar by presenting the Moroccan experience in transitional justice.

The Togo’s Commission, whose temporal mandate extends from 1958 to 2005, is entrusted with developing a detailed report on the nature, extent and causes of acts of politically motivated violence committed in the past in Togo, rebuilding the context in which these abuses occurred, identifying, as a result of inquiries and investigations, the institutions, organizations and others responsible for these abuses and violations of human rights, proposing to the Government measures to be taken for reparations as well as various forms of redress for victims, and making recommendations to the Government on the fate reserved for perpetrators of the most serious violations of human rights, measures to be taken to avoid repetition of such acts, measures against impunity and measures to strengthen national reconciliation.

The truth, justice and reconciliation commission, which has a period of eighteen months, extended for six months to accomplish its missions and submit to the President of the Republic a report containing its findings and recommendations, is composed of members from various denominations, human rights organizations, women's organizations, trade unions, the Bar association, the judiciary, traditional chiefs, and the association of physicians and academics. The Committee President, Vice-President and members are appointed by the Council of Ministers.

It should be noted that the Togolese sociopolitical players signed on August 20, 2006 the overall political agreement whose Section 2.2 is devoted to the fight against impunity.