Desmond Tutu chaired South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission after Nelson Mandela became president.
The commission was established in 1995 to investigate gross human rights violations committed during the apartheid era and the conflicts surrounding the transition to democracy. Tutu, an Anglican archbishop and prominent anti-apartheid leader, became its chair.
The commission held public hearings in which victims and perpetrators described killings, torture, disappearances and other abuses. Under specified conditions, perpetrators could apply for amnesty by making a full disclosure and showing that their acts were politically motivated.
The commission did not prosecute every offender or provide complete compensation to every victim. Its central purpose was public truth-telling and reconciliation rather than a conventional criminal trial process.