In April 2013, an unauthorised version of the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report was released, precipitating a new round of public debates over the appropriate place of forgiveness in the Solomon Islands’ reconciliation process. On one side, ex-combatants and some members of Parliament argued in favour of state administered forgiveness-as-amnesty as a key to achieving national reconciliation. On the other side, however, the TRC itself argued against the issuing of amnesties and favoured instead an inter-personal understanding of forgiveness. This paper examines the development of the relationship between inter-personal and state-sanctioned forgiveness processes in the context of the truth commissions established in El Salvador, South Africa and the Solomon Islands. It argues that the Solomon Islands TRC marks a significant turn away from the sort of state-sanctioned, institutionally-led forgiveness practices that drew criticism in the Salvadoran and South African cases toward a more victim-centred approach.
