Trials of Rwanda
The next part of our journey included a sobering visit to the ICTR – the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days. The ICTR was set up in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in order to contribute to the process of national reconciliation in Rwanda and to the maintenance of peace in the region. It aims to accomplish this via the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda.
During our visit we were able to witness part of a murder trial which involved the prosecution of Fr. Hormisdas Nsengimana who was formerly the rector of Christ-Roi College in Nyanza. Nsengimana was arrested March 21, 2002 in Cameroon. He is charged on three counts of Genocide, murder and extermination as crimes against humanity. He pleaded not guilty on all counts, and his trial continued while we were visiting. (Details of the case can be viewed at the ICTR site with Case Minutes provided. Another source of information is also found at Trial Watch which gives further background detail.)
After viewing part of the trial, an informative video explaining the function of the ICTR in Arusha was shown, and we were then addressed by a spokesperson for the organisation regarding its work and future operations. It was an impressive visit which showed yet another side of the African landscape which is often disregarded by our western culture – racial conflict on an extraordinary scale. (The ICTR has an interesting component to its site which includes a virtual tour of the complex.)
Another challenging site for information on this catastrophic event is Kigali Genocide Memorial - built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried. These graves are a clear reminder of the cost of ignorance, and the web site aims to grieve the losses of many and educate the world beyond these acts of violence.
There is a lot of literature available both online and in book publications, about the Rwanda massacre and its effects in the region. ‘Hotel Rwanda’ is probably the most popularly recognised film which has spawned many others. Books such as ‘Bishop of Rwanda’ by John Rucyahana and James Riordan, and
‘Life Laid Bare: The Survivors in Rwanda Speak’ by Jean Hatzfeld and Linda Coverdale are among the many written to try to make sense of, or to help learn from this event.
Are there others you have read or film or web sites that you would recommend to others?
If you visited the ICTR what impact did it make on you?
