reparations lessons from south africa

REPARATIONS LESSONS FROM SOUTH

AFRICADr Fanie du Toit

Le rôle, la place et le récit des victimes dans les processus de justice transitionnelle

18 et 19 février 2013Hôtel Golden Tulip El Mechtel

Tunis

REPARATION: A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT INTERNATIONALLY AND IN TUNISIA

• “States  should  endeavour  to  establish  national programmes  for  reparation and  other  assistance  to victims  in.” (2006 UN Basic Principles, Principle 16) 

• Thomas Lubanga case: both individual and collective reparations were necessary

• Various Tunisian transitional justice measures since 2011 have acknowledged the importance of reparations as a right:• The National Fact finding Commission recommended effective redress

for victims and their families of abuses from Dec 17, 2010 onwards.• Decree law No 97 proposes a memorial for victims of the January 14

Revolution, a museum, renaming of street names, January 14 as a public holiday etc.

• The Draft Law on TJ acknowledges the Right to Reparation (Art 11)

BASIC PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES

4 kinds of victims• Suffer harm directly• Dependents of those who suffer harm directly• Collective victims such as organisations, communities or

institutions• Individuals injured in an attempt to prevent violationsTunisian Law recognise all four categories of victims

4 forms of reparationsCompensation – financial damages for physical or mental harmRestitution – freedom, human rights, property, employmentRehabilitation – medical and social care, including psychological and legal needsSatisfaction and Guarantees of non-repetition – effective measures to aid the cessation of violence, reconciliation and institutional reform, public disclosure, exhumation, search for the disappeared, public efforts to apologise and memorialise the victimsTunisian law tends to emphasise the first and pay less systematic attention to the last.

REPARATION AFTER APARTHEID

• A d e l i c a t e b a l a n c e b e t w e e n C i v i c a n d H u m a n D i g n i t y• 2 1 , 0 0 0 v i c t i m s o f g ro s s h u m a n r i g h t s v i o l a t i o n s i d e n t i fi e d – b a s e d o n s o l i d b u t n o t ex h a u s t i v e d o c u m e n t a t i o n• V i c t i m s l e a rn e d t h e t r u t h a b o u t w h a t h a p p e n e d • M o s t f e l t t h e i r s u ff e r i n g w a s o ffi c i a l l y re c o g n i z e d . • 1 6 , 8 0 0 a p p l i e d f o r re p a r a t i o n s a n d re c e i v e d $ 3 0 0 0 e a c h – t o d a y t h e re a re 2 0 0 l e f t w h o h a v e n o t b e e n p a i d• Va r i o u s l i b e r a t i o n m e m o r i a l h a v e b e e n b u i l t• E d u c a t i o n , M e d i c a l a n d I n f r a s t r u c t u re re g u l a t i o n s a re s t i l l b e i n g c o n s i d e re d f o r p ro m u l g a t i o n fi f t e e n y e a r s a f t e r t h e T RC

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% saying excellent / good job

Performance of TRC in letting the families of people know what happened to their loved ones

% saying it is TRUE that apartheid was a crime against

humanity94

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The resu l t o f a l l o f th i s i s ve ry angry v i c t ims – WHY?

KEY OBSTACLES

•Obstac les• se lect ion cr i ter ia : A c losed or open l is t? • munificence: the issue of a minimum wage• re lat ion to development

But there was a deeper problem

Reparat ions const i tuted a promise to restore v ict ims to thei r r ightfu l p lace as

equal c i t izens. Dur ing the TRC, we turned the wor ld on i ts feet for a br ief moment and then a l lowed i t to fl ip back again .

As the process of reparat ions cont inued, v ict ims no longer fe l t respected, consul ted,

inc luded…

Acknowledgement• restores human dignity

• fosters citizenship and national belonging

• corrects history and creates a shared past

• complies with human rights standards.

• Symbol ic and the Mater ia l• L a c k o f b u d g e t • H u m a n d i g n i t y a n d t h e n e e d f o r a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t

• Inc lus iv i ty and Closure• W h o i s e x c l u d e d ? S A ’ s c l o s e d l i s t – i n Tu n i s i a ?• W h o s e s u ff e r i n g ? – t h e F r e e d o m P a r k M e m o r i a l a n d G a c a c a

• Accountabi l i ty and Reconci l ia t ion• S h o u l d p e r p e t r a t o r s p a y r e p a r a t i o n ?• T h e C h e s h i r e c a t s m i l e o f a p a r t h e i d l e a d e r s / M o r o c c o • W h o b e n e fi t e d ? B e n e fi c i a r i e s b e h i n d t h e i r w a l l s

Acknowledgement: A delicate balance

between

• R i g h t s i m p l y d u t i e s• N o o n e w a n t s t h e d u t y o f re p a r a t i o n s• I n t e rn a t i o n a l L a w: S t a t e h a s t h e p r i m a r y d u t y a n d y e t …• Po l i t i c a l w i l l l a c k i n g i n S A , b u t a l s o a l m o s t e v e r y w h e re e l s e : t y p i c a l exc u s e s i n c l u d e :• I t w a s a p r e v i o u s g o v e r n m e n t • I d o n ’ t a g r e e w i t h y o u r fi n d i n g s : M b e k i a n d D e K l e r k• M y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s 2 2 m i l l i o n S o u t h A f r i c a n s , n o t t h e T R C ’ s

2 2 t h o u s a n d : Tr e v o r M a n u e l

• Re a l i s m / i n t e g r i t y n e e d e d – T h e ro a d t o h e l l i s p a v e d w i t h g o o d i n t e n t i o n s •T h e c a s e f o r a p e rm a n e n t o v e r s i g h t a g e n c y t o

m o n i t o r re p a r a t i o n s , b o t h s y m b o l i c a n d m a t e r i a l

Whose duty then?

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% support

% support white South Africans paying some of the costs of compensating the victims

Hindsight is perfect:South Africa’s “if only”

list1. Guidelines only minimum standards

2. Guarantees of non-recurrence ensure that reparations are not superficial

3. Vital that reparations respond to victim’s needs and perspectives, rather than what we think are victims needs and perspectives = consultation

4. Acknowledgement is a vital need, throughout the process. Don’t allow it to be bureaucratised.

5. Very important to observe and establish links between reparation programs and other recourse at the disposal of victims (accountability through criminal and non criminal means and reconciliation processes).

6. Reparations in a vacuum may be meaningless, an insult to victims (“blood money”)

“If only’s” Continued

7. Important to pay attention to how will reparation programs be financed. Where? How?

8. Clear conceptions of the form and nature of reparations: individual or collective, material, symbolic or other

9. Develop a reasonable scope for reparations: integral, reasonable, adequate, non discrimination among victims

10. Closure is important: reparations delayed in reparations denied

Institute for Justice and Reconciliationwww.ijr.org.zaTel: 021-763 7128 Fax: 021-763 7138Email: info@ijr.org.za

Postal AddressPO Box 18094Wynberg,7824Cape TownSouth Africa Find us on

Blog: http://sabarometerblog.wordpress.com/

And finally: Olga Macingwane in Worcester

Reparation is important element but could also do considerable harm.

And therefore, the importance of 5 principles:• Documentation• Consultation

• Divisions and competition amongst victims • Tend to let beneficiaries off the hook

• Acknowledgment• Realistic Promises made with integrity

• Limits of legal compensation • Danger secondary traumatisation when disappointed

• An Independent overseeing mechanism