In this conversation, CGHR ’s Thomas Probert will explore with Toby Fisher, lead counsel for the Human Rights South African HR Commission, the validity of the main arguments that are being attributed to the Marikana Commission. Commissions of Inquiry have come to play a significant role in the response of several African States to incidents involving violations of the right to life over the past decades. Some argue they present a forum in which victims can have a greater voice and can more readily contribute to reconciliation or the rebuilding of public trust. Others argue they are smokescreens behind which perpetrators evade meaningful accountability for their crimes. Together, based on their ongoing work to revise the UN Manual of the Investigation of Extra-Legal Executions, the speakers will reflect on the characteristics of a successful accountability mechanism for violations of the right to life.