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Nelson Mandela, freed from prison in 1990 after 27 years, found himself leading a country where the victims of apartheid would now live side by side with their former oppressors. With its legacy of hate, how could the new South Africa endure? In 1995, South Africa opened the most extensive truth inquiry yet established, setting governement investigators to work examining the horrors perpetrated on both sides of the racial divide.
From South Africa to Sierra Leone, form Argentina to Haiti, as repressive regimes give way to more democratic governments and brutal civil wars come to a close, new leaders have found it necessary to confront the massive human rights abuses suffered by their country. Official investigations into atrocities of the past are often seen as essential medicine to cure the symptoms of past tyranny and repression. In Unspeakable Truths, Hayner delivers a profound definitive exploration of these truth commissions, and the anguish, the injustice, and the legacy of what they are meant to absolve. She examines twenty major truth commissions established around the world - paying special attention to South Africa, El Salvador, Argentina, Chile and Guatemala.
Drawing from close to five hundred interviews in over a douzen countries, Unspeakable Truths takes a critical look at the world's truth commissions, challenging many common assumptions about these bodies and their impact. As she explores the inner workings of these commissions, Hayner uncovers heartwrenching stories about the pain, as well as the enormous power, of bringing past atrocity to light. For those concerned with the fate of democracy and freedom on the international stage, Unspeakable Truths is essential reading.
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