Indigenous Self-determination and Political Rights: Practical Recommendations for Truth Commissions1

Truth commissions and commissions of inquiry are not new for Indigenous Peoples. In Guatemala, Peru, Australia, Chile, and Canada, Indigenous Peoples have been consulted, given statements, read reports, and more. Yet the larger question for Indigenous Peoples must be: how can a truth commission advance their longer-term vision of self-determination and full exercise of their political rights? Can a truth commission even make a difference on these issues? In the past, truth commissions have not made much of a difference on these particular issues, it is true. Perhaps Guatemala’s Commission of Historical Clarification (CEH) is the only one that has made a demonstrable contribution to the participation of indigenous people in public life. The commission’s finding that the state had committed acts of genocide against Indigenous Peoples helped to reframe political debate in Guatemala, and the struggle for truth and reparations galvanized a range of indigenous groups to become more active politically.2 The story continues, more than 10 years after the government initially rejected the CEH’s report. In June 2011, a former general in the Guatemalan army was arrested—the first person to be arrested in Guatemala on charges of genocide. A truth commission cannot lead to self-determination by itself. But it may be part of a longer-term process leading in that direction. In order to contribute, however, they may need to operate a bit differently than in the past. The goal of this paper is to identify some practical