Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), presented the long-awaited 3,500 page report to President Mandela, on October 29, 1998.. The TRC was established in 1995 to investigate human rights violations committed by all sides during the apartheid era. After two-and-a-half years and the testimony of over 21,000 victims, the TRC has produced a report which accuses leading figures from all political parties of human rights violations. The controversial nature of the report led to two legal challenges prior to its publication. The first, by former President F W de Klerk, was successful, and sections relating to him have been removed. The other challenge, by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), failed, and the report contains multiple accusations of ANC wrongdoing in its long fight against apartheid. The harshest criticism, however, is reserved for the senior figures of the apartheid system. The TRC site provides the full text of the final report in five volumes, totalling over ten megabytes. The TRC homepage offers information on the Commission, its legal background, the work of its various committees, an Amnesty Database, recommended reading, and suggested links.
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