Seychelles' parliament starts debate on final report from truth and reconciliation body

TRNUC in one of its sessions in December 2020. (Seychelles Nation)  

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles National Assembly has commenced debates on the recommendations made by the Truth, Reconciliation, and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) in its final report.

During its session on Tuesday, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne, outlined that the committee that oversees the business of the institution dedicated the week's work of the Assembly to the TRNUC report, more specifically on the recommendations of the report.

The Assembly Business Committee invited two former TRNUC commissioners – Michael Green and Marie-Therese Purvis – to answer questions in the sitting on Tuesday.

In his address to the assembly the former vice chairperson of TRNUC, Michael Green, provided an update on what needs to be done so that TRNUC can complete its work.

"There is the need to complete transcriptions and translation of all evidence, to convert documents to a digital format and place them in an achieve, to have a publicly accessible place where these documents can be stored," said Green.

He further added that an authority will have to take charge of these works.

"The authority will consider proposed reparations and how this will be carried out. He suggested that the authority be made up of a representative from the finance ministry, from the judiciary, a former TRNUC commissioner, from the victims' committee, and two or three other members. The authority will evaluate the recommendations made by TRNUC," said Green.

Following engagements with the former commissioner the assembly will continue debates on the report so as to produce a report of their own. The report of the assembly will be submitted to the government.

TRNUC was established in 2018 to work on settling past political divisions and grievances that were a result of the coup d'état in Seychelles on June 5, 1977. It had a three-year mandate, which was expected to end in August 2022.

In total, 504 complaints were filed and recorded before the commission, out of which 371 cases were admissible and in conformity with the regulations of TRNUC.

The final report of the commission was submitted to the Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan on March 31, 2023, by the former chairperson of TRNUC, Gabriel McIntyre. 

One of the biggest concerns is the compensation that the victims are asking for which according to the chairperson of the TRNUC Victims Committee, Barry Laine, will vary from up to SCR 1 million ($77,400) for harassment and other acts to up to SCR 20 million ($1.5 million) for killing or disappearance.