Transitional justice in post-genocide Rwanda : the Gacaca tribunals : the latest hope for justice in Rwanda?

Abstract

After many decades of impunity, the Rwandan Government embarked upon a course of transitional justice committed to prosecuting all those who were suspected of complicity in the 1994 genocide. Initially, many Rwandans placed their hopes in the United Nations (UN) ad hoe International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) but it was plagued by inefficiencies and delays. Also although the Rwandan National Courts tried a significantly larger number of cases than the ICTR, they were also criticised for being too slow. Therefore, the Rwandan Government introduced an innovative participative justice mechanism, the Gacaca Tribunals in order to accelerate post-genocide justice. This study examines some of the background to the setting up of the Gacaca Tribunals and provides some observations on the objectives and mechanics of the Gacaca Tribunals.