Subjectivities of suffering: Human rights in the Solomon Islands truth and reconciliation commission

The Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission , like other truth commissions preceding it, was grounded in transnational normative assumptions about the nature of human suffering grounded in international human rights , humanitarian law , and criminal law. Tasked with analysing patterns of human rights violations experienced by Solomon Islands during the 1998–2003 ethnic tensions , the TRC drew upon classifications of crimes against humanity in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as the benchmark by which to categorise the abuses people had suffered. These understandings of suffering and their related subjectivities, however, remain highly contested within Solomon Islands society. Yet, the TRC model was largely marketed to Solomon Islanders based on its apparent resonance with locally nuanced subjectivities grounded in Christianity and kastom , and as its data gathering process relied heavy on personal testimonies of abuse. This chapter examines the extent to which notions of suffering, derived from international norms and promoted by the TRC were at odds with the experiences of those who testified before it, and argues that in its attempt to be relevant to multiple audiences, the Solomon Islands TRC found itself beset by internal inconsistencies it was unable to manage or rectify.