In Peru, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up two years ago to find out exactly what went on during the country’s 20-year long civil war, has reported that 69,000 people were killed in the conflict, more than double the previously estimated number. Most were from rural native communities. More than half were massacred by the communist rebels. Others were killed in the dirty war prosecuted by elements in the armed forces. The revelations are having a profound effect on Peruvians. They have to face up to the fact that their country has been home to the bloodiest civil war in Latin American history. They want those responsible to be brought to justice.
Truth and reconciliation commissions are turning up all over the world — around 20 so far. Peru’s is the fifth in Latin America alone. All were inspired by the commission set up after the end of apartheid in South Africa. There, the commission specifically avoided retribution against those who carried out abuses during the apartheid era provided the accused admitted their guilt. But by finding out what actually happened to their loved ones, families and friends have been able to grieve and move on.
Iraq is an obvious candidate for a truth and reconciliation commission. Mass graves have begun to be found, but it is impossible to say how many went missing and were executed during the Saddam era — some say tens of thousands, others say hundreds of thousands — certainly more than Peru’s 69,000; there is hardly an Iraqi family without a relative who “disappeared”. The fact that there is no known figure is sufficient reason for a commission.
There have been calls from several international agencies for such a commission in Iraq but neither the Americans or the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council are keen. No systematic effort to piece together evidence of the former regime’s human rights crimes is being carried out. Such work as is being done, by a handful of forensic archaeologists, is being carried out independently.
There is a great deal of publicity every time one of the Iraqis on the US military’s pack of cards is captured, and a great deal of public approval in Iraq. But putting men like Ali Hassan Al-Majid (“Chemical Ali”) on trial to answer for the killing of thousands of Kurds and other crimes, important though it is, is not enough. Iraqis need to know the whole truth about Saddam’s barbarities. They need to know what happened to their loved ones, where they died, where their remains are, and who was responsible. They need it not because of a desire for revenge, but because without such knowledge, there will always be suspicion and the past will never be laid to rest. With it, there is the chance of forgiveness and reconciliation. They are the key to lasting peace.
