South African Truth Commission setting up new panel to consider ANC amnesties

South Africa's Truth Commission is to set up a new panel to review the amnesty applications of thirty-seven of the ruling ANC's leading figures.

The initial decision to grant them a blanket amnesty was set aside by the High Court earlier this month.

A member of the commission Denzil Potgieter said none of the amnesty applications were being withdrawn, and that the panel reviewing the applications would be completely new.

He said applicants would have to specify which incidents they wanted to be considered, and that public hearings would take place if any gross human rights violations were revealed.

The original amnesties, granted without the applicants being asked to testify, were roundly condemned by all opposition parties.

In January the commission itself asked the High Court to rule on the matter.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service