Lautoka lawyer Azeem Sahu Khan told the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission (FTRC) this week that publicly sharing the trauma he suffered in 2013 and the years that followed has helped him begin to heal, describing the hearing as a necessary — if difficult — step toward personal and collective recovery. Speaking at a sitting in Lautoka, Khan framed his decision to give evidence as a fulfilment of his professional oath to “uphold constitutionalism and the rule of law” and as an act of speaking truth to power.
“What I endured in 2013 and the years that followed taught me that there is indeed a price to be paid for telling the truth,” Khan told the commission. “Yet I also came to understand that the price of silence is far greater.” He said those competing costs shaped his choice to come forward and to trust the FTRC process with his account.
Khan praised the commission’s trauma-informed procedures, saying they provided a confidential, safe environment that made it possible to revisit painful memories. “The hearing itself was raw for me. It brought up difficult memories, but the trauma-informed approach made it manageable,” he said, adding that the commissioners were “attentive and focused on understanding.” Khan’s remarks underline the FTRC’s emphasis on supporting survivors through specialised measures during public hearings.
On reconciliation, Khan drew a distinction between communal and personal responsibilities. “Reconciliation, he stressed, is collective, while forgiveness is personal,” he told the commission, adding that he has forgiven the perpetrator of his trauma. He described forgiveness as a personal choice that has enabled him to recover “mentally and emotionally,” even as the memory of events persists. “Reconciliation creates the conditions where forgiveness is possible,” he said.
Khan urged other survivors to consider using the FTRC as a path to recovery when they feel ready, emphasising the process’s structured and confidential nature. “It offers a structured, confidential way to have your experience acknowledged, which can aid personal recovery and broader reconciliation,” he said, framing testimony not only as catharsis for individuals but also as a contribution to national healing.
The Lautoka hearing is the latest public testimony received by the commission, which has been convening sessions to document and address past harms. Khan’s testimony is notable both because of his standing as a lawyer who speaks of constitutional duties and because he publicly described forgiving his attacker while endorsing the commission’s trauma-sensitive approach. His account adds to an evolving record of survivor experiences the FTRC is compiling to inform recommendations aimed at reconciliation and institutional reform.
By choosing to tell his story, Khan said he hopes to encourage other survivors to weigh the benefits of coming forward — not as a substitute for legal redress, but as part of a broader process of acknowledgement and collective recovery. His testimony underscores the emotional toll of recounting past abuses while highlighting the potential for structured truth-telling mechanisms to support healing.
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