The long-awaited findings of a probe into crimes committed under The Gambia’s former longtime leader Yahya Jammeh have been delayed, investigators said. A panel called the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) was scheduled to ceremonially hand over its findings to President Adama Barrow on Thursday. But the final report will now be released at a later date, a member of the TRRC told the AFP news agency, saying, “We are not yet ready.” Reed Brody, a US lawyer calling for Jammeh to be prosecuted, said the postponement was announced “to the frustration of victims”. The findings, spanning 16 volumes, had initially been due for release in July. In April 2020, the TRRC published an interim report describing rights violations under Jammeh as “massive, appalling and diverse” including torture, extrajudicial killings, rape, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention. The TRRC is not empowered to prosecute those responsible for crimes. Styled on the lines of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the TRRC heard testimony from nearly 400 people from January 2019 to May 2021 about Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA