In keeping with the ideology of the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Agreement, the Truth Commission will be formally inaugurated by President Lobo today. The commission’s task will be to begin studying the events taking place in Honduras before, during and after the June 28, 2009 political crisis.
Participating in today’s initiation are the OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza; Victor Rico, in charge of Political Affairs for the OAS; Craig Kelly, the United States Deputy Undersecretary of State for the Western Hemisphere; and Eduardo Stein, former Vice President of Guatemala.
Eduardo Stein will be the coordinator of the Truth Commission, and has said he plans to carry out comprehensive job interviews with all the main players involved in the crisis.
“The Commission, upon installation, will work independently of any Honduran or foreign authority,” he said. “We want to hear from everyone, absolutely everyone.
Stein estimates the commission’s report to be available in about eight months, although it could take longer.
The report of the Truth Commission will not be completely disclosed to the public. There are some elements that will remain as confidential information.
That information is likely to be delivered to an international body to store it and protect it for ten years, after which it will be made public.
Many have criticized this procedure, to which Mr. Stein stated, “It worries me this kind of criticism; this has been so in all truth commissions.”
He also said that the OAS is providing technical support and has provided a safe design for their computer equipment.
The Truth Commission consists of five persons. Three members are Honduran nationals, among them the rector of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Julieta Castellanos, former rector of the Jorge Casco Institution, and Sergio Membreno, technical secretary. Also included are two international figures, Canadian Michael Kergin, and Peruvian Maria Zavala Valladares Amadilia.
