National Reconciliation Commission to probe agencies

The National Reconciliation Commission has set up six committees to examine and report on the rolethat various institutions and bodies played in human rights violations in the country.

The committees are the Judiciary, Press (including electronic media), security services, labour and students union, religious bodies and chiefs, and professional bodies.

Announcing these at a news briefing on Thursday in Accra, Ms Annie Anipa, Director of Public Affairs of the commission, explained that members of the commission had been selected to the various committees to facilitate the work of the NRC.

General E.A. Erskine is the chairman of the Legal Profession (including the Judiciary), Bishop Palmer –Buckle, chairs services committee, Professor H.J.A.N. Mensa-Bonsu, will chair the religious bodies and chiefs, with Maulvi Wahab Adam heading the Professional bodies (other than legal).

Ms. Anipa said that as at Wednesday, 18 September, 929 complaints had been received nationwide. That, she said, included 435 in Accra, 263 in Kumasi, 68 in Ho, 38 in Tamale, 110 in Takoradi and 15 in Bolgatanga.


Miss Anipa explained some of the procedures of the commission. This was to set the records straight on some of the misconceptions about the procedures of the commission. On investigations and research, she said that statements, which were straight- forward, have been passed on to the Investigations and Research departments.


She said the commission currently had eight investigators and each of them was handling 12 cases. Research, she said, had also commenced on the workings of some public institutions, which had received maximum cooperation.


At the end of the process, public hearing would begin, she said, and stressed that private hearing would be held only for very good reasons. She maintained that all parties would be represented at such as part of its mandate, would protect their wishes.

Ms Anipa stated emphatically that the commission did not have any intention to screen and discard meritorious statements or petitions or complaints submitted. “The present procedures is an internal arrangement to make the commission’s work less cumbersome. It is not intended to sift the complaints or reaching the commission,” she said.


Ms Anipa said that, all statements had to be investigated to ascertain the truth or otherwise.


On the assertion that every statement should be publicly heard, she said, “we would wish to further clarify that the act setting up the commission provides for private hearing when it becomes necessary adding “It is a misconception therefore, to claim that all cases should be heard publicly.”