Special Report Transcript Episode 71, Section 3, Time 16:22

Over the past year and a half the faces on the Amnesty Committee have become well-known. We have seen them listen, probe, question and debate in hearings across the country. To date 53 amnesties have been granted and 39 refused. But the process is not only about hearings. Amnesty applications that do not concern the gross violation of human rights can be processed on paper. These include crimes like the illegal possession of firearms or public violence. Often applications also fall clearly outside of the requirements of the Act and are turned down without a hearing being necessary. To date 43 amnesties have been granted on paper and almost 2000 refused. Amnesty hearings are not court cases, but the process is a legal one. All Committee members have legal backgrounds and are led by a judge of the supreme court. Every hearing also has its posse of lawyers who represent perpetrators, implicated persons, victims and the family of victims. The legal teams for perpetrators from the old police forces and the army are paid for by the taxpayer. This legal team for instance represents more than 80 generals and policemen. Many of these lawyers have played an important role in some of the big and complicated applications, but others are responsible for slowing down hearings and forcing adjournments.