| Abstract | South Africa and East Timor illustrate that truth commissions can play a powerful role in bringing human concerns to the forefront in an attempt to end impunity, recognize the suffering of victims, and establish a fair history of the past. Establishing the truth about the past can be critical for a society to come to terms with a period of widespread abuses, and this is one of East Timor's aims as the country embarks on official independence after centuries of Portuguese colonization, 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation and nearly three years of governance under the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor. Establishing a truth commission is only one of the steps in moving a nation towards sustainable peace and reconciliation. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission provided a model that East Timor has learned from and modified in the creation of the East Timorese Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, and although it is too early to speculate on the success of the Commission, it meets the minimum criteria for truth commissions. As the East Timorese continue in the reconstruction of their nation, hopefully the Commission will help them face the profound task ahead together.
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