The National Reconciliation Commission ended its hearings of petitions into human rights violations yesterday, July 13,2004.

The commission received a total of 4311 petitions for hearing. During its 18-month hearings the commission listed 2129 petitions for hearing.

Of the remainder, many were determined by the commission to be non-jurisdictional while a significant proportion concerned petitions from large numbers of dismissed public officers, traders whose goods were seized under similar circumstances all over the country, victims of market burnings, as well as members of churches who were ill-treated by military personnel.

The commission , having heard a representative sample, determined that such petitions did not warrant a hearing. All these petitions are being considered and findings and recommendations will be made in respect of each of them in the commission's report to the president.

The commission also heard 79 respondents who testified in respect of allegations of human right violations made against them. Some admitted the matters alleged against them, apologised, and asked for forgiveness.

Closing the hearings, the chairman of the National Reconciliation Commission, Mr Justice K.E. Amua- Sekyi, thanked Ghanaians for their support and goodwill as well as their interest in the work of the commission.

He said the interest that all sections of the society showed in the commission and its work, gave an indication that Ghanaians genuinely desire national reconciliation and hoped the work of the commission would contribute to achieving this goal.

The chairman commended the commission's press corps and their media houses who made it possible for the public to read, listen, and watch the proceedings of the commission in Accra and at the regional capitals. He was also appreciative of the social responsibility demonstrated by the radio stations which provided free airtime for the commission's public education programmes.

Mr Justice Amua- Sekyi paid glowing tribute to the International Centre for Transitional Justice, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), South African High Commission, and the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) for provision of logistics, support and the Civil Society Coalition on National Reconciliation for their encouragement.