The Gambia Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission will on June 8 resume public hearings, which it suspended on March 18 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The resumption of public hearings on June 8 is in accordance with the Commission’s schedule and work plan for 2020. It would also mean that the Commission will have lost only two weeks of hearings. In that case, public hearings will be projected to end during the last, rather than the first week of November 2020 as initially planned,” said an official statement made available on Tuesday.
It said that the decision was taken following consultations by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice with Commissioners, Secretariat staff and the Legal Unit on May 11.
The statement said the Commission will pick up from where it stopped, with witnesses expected to testify on road attacks by ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s motorcade and conditions at Gambia’s prisons.
In light of the current State of Emergency and Covid-19 rules and regulations, it explained that seating arrangements for Commissioners and staff at the hearing hall will be reconfigured to accommodate social distancing and other precautionary measures.
“It is also anticipated that only a few family members or close relatives of witnesses will be allowed in the hall, in addition to essential TRRC support staff including interpreters, sound engineers, psycho-social and medical support workers, security officers and media personnel,” the statement said.
While all media houses will still be able to cover the proceedings, measures will be put in place to ensure that social distancing and other Covid-19 rules are observed.
According to the statement arrangements will be made by the Secretariat’s Human Resources Department to see how best all units of the Commission will operate full time while observing Covid-19 precautions.
