Misplaced Pages

#166833

46-619: In April 1994, many Tutsis sought refuge in a Catholic church in Nyarubuye. The local mayor, Sylvestre Gacumbitsi, was later found guilty of participating in the attack at the church and convicted of the crime of genocide and crimes against humanity. The ICTR found that between 15 and 17 April 1994, he had directed attacks against the Tutsi civilian refugees who had gathered at the Nyarubuye Parish and that he had personally took part in

92-523: A final judgment was rendered: two of whom had their charges dismissed by the Tribunal, two of whom had their charges withdrawn by the Prosecutor, and five of whom died. 3°22′04″S 36°41′47″E  /  3.3677°S 36.6965°E  / -3.3677; 36.6965 Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front ( RPF–Inkotanyi ; French : Front patriotique rwandais , FPR )

138-774: A humanitarian mission in Somalia the previous year. Finally in July 1994, after the genocide was over, the UN Security Council called for an investigation of the events, and acted to establish an international criminal tribunal to prosecute those individuals most responsible for the genocide. Adopting Resolution 955, the Security Council created the ICTR on 8 November 1994 and the ICTR would also deal with other crimes against international humanitarian law committed on

184-717: A large number of NRA officers because they had joined the rebellion early and thus had accumulated more experience. The contributions of the Rwandans in the Ugandan Bush War were immediately recognized by the new government. Six months after taking power, Museveni reversed the decades-old legal regime and declared that Rwandans who had resided in Uganda would be entitled to citizenship after 10 years. In December 1987, RANU held its seventh congress in Kampala and renamed itself

230-601: A legal limbo along the border region for years, and many refugee youths left to join the National Resistance Army . After the Museveni government was formed in 1986, Fred Rwigema , a Rwandan refugee commander, was appointed Uganda's deputy minister of defense and deputy army commander-in-chief, second only to Museveni in the military chain of command for Uganda. Paul Kagame was appointed acting chief of military intelligence. Rwandan refugees formed

276-674: A memorial to the genocide. A similar event occurred in a Catholic church in Nyange, Kibuye , which was bulldozed and attacked on 16 April 1994, killing more than 1,500 displaced Tutsis inside. The parish priest, Father Athanase Seromba , was convicted in 2006 of genocide for that crime at the ICTR. 2°16′46″S 30°42′41″E  /  2.2794°S 30.7114°E  / -2.2794; 30.7114 ICTR The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ( ICTR ; French : Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda ; Kinyarwanda : Urukiko Mpanabyaha Mpuzamahanga Rwashyiriweho u Rwanda )

322-590: A strong message that rape is no longer a trophy of war." The trial against " hate media " began on 23 October 2000. It was charged with the prosecution of the media which encouraged the genocide of 1994. On 19 August 2003, at the tribunal in Arusha, life sentences were requested for Ferdinand Nahimana , and Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza , persons in charge for the Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines , as well as Hassan Ngeze , director and editor of

368-518: A total of 96 individuals. The proceedings against one individual are suspended before the IRMCT. The ICTR (or the IRMCT as its successor) convicted 61 individuals: 25 of whom are currently serving sentences, 22 of whom have completed their sentences, and 14 of whom died while serving their sentences. The Tribunal acquitted 14 individuals and transferred the cases against 10 individuals to national jurisdictions. Proceedings against nine individuals ended before

414-554: A wide-ranging prohibition on what the government calls " genocide ideology ", including discussion of ethnic differences. Despite an official nonsectarian identity, as of 2021, a large majority of officials in the RPF-led government are Tutsi. Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with over 14 million people living in a comparatively small territory of 26,338 square kilometers. Unlike other African countries,

460-572: Is regarded as a major failure. The international response to the Rwandan genocide was poor. For weeks, the major power nations denied that a genocide was taking place in Rwanda. The United States refused to call the incident genocide because using the term would make an obligation for the United States to send troops, which it was reluctant to do after several of its soldiers were killed during

506-765: Is the ruling political party in Rwanda . The RPF was founded in December 1987 by Rwandan Tutsi in exile in Uganda because of the ethnic violence that had occurred during the Rwandan Hutu Revolution in 1959–1962. In 1990, the RPF started the Rwandan Civil War in an attempt to overthrow the government, which was dominated by Hutu . Later on, the Rwandan genocide occurred that ended on 4 July with

SECTION 10

#1732773235167

552-414: Is thought that either Hutu extremists or the RPF carried it out. The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide which began within a few hours. Over approximately 100 days, more than one million Tutsi people, were killed and an estimated 150,000 to 250,000 women were raped. The RPF with its wing army fought the government and took control of the country. The Rwandan genocide

598-485: The Geneva Conventions (which deals with internal conflicts ). The first trial, of Jean-Paul Akayesu , began in 1997. Jean Kambanda , interim Prime Minister, pleaded guilty. According to the ICTR's Completion Strategy, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1503 , all first-instance cases were to have completed trial by the end of 2008 (this date was later extended to the end of 2009 ) and all work

644-615: The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT or Mechanism) which had begun functioning for the ICTR branch on 1 July 2012. The Tribunal was officially closed on 31 December 2016. The tribunal's failure to prosecute war crimes committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front or try RPF leader Paul Kagame was widely criticized, to the point of being characterized as " victor's justice ". The Rwandan genocide refers to

690-756: The Kangura newspaper. They were charged with genocide, incitement to genocide , and crimes against humanity, before and during the period of the genocides of 1994. On 3 December 2003, the court found all three defendants guilty and sentenced Nahimana and Ngeze to life imprisonment and Barayagwiza to imprisonment for 35 years. On 28 November 2007, the Appeals Chamber partially allowed appeals against conviction from all three men, reducing their sentences to 30 years' imprisonment for Nahimana, 32 years' imprisonment for Barayagwiza and 35 years' imprisonment for Ngeze. French investigating magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière

736-411: The Rwandan Patriotic Front ( RPF ) stands for Unity, Sovereignty and Security, Economy, Democratic Leadership, Fighting Corruption, Eliminating All Causes of Refugee Status, International Relations, Social Welfare, and Fighting Genocide and Its Ideology; the new RPF, dominated by Rwandan intellectuals who were in exile from different countries and military officers, was far more strong and ambitious than

782-461: The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and its invasion from Uganda furthered ethnic hatred. A ceasefire in these hostilities led to negotiations between the government and the RPF in 1992. On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi was shot down, killing everyone on board. The Hutu held the RPF accountable and immediately began the genocide, targeted at both Tutsis and Hutu moderates. Most of

828-491: The Rwandan government has invented and practiced unique national programs in ensuring self-reliance including Community work ( Umuganda ) and Gacaca courts . Paul Kagame is the current Chairman of the RPF after being re-elected with other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) during the 16th party's national congress that met on 2 April 2023. The elected committee is responsible for

874-626: The Ugandan Bush War . Following the overthrow of Idi Amin in 1979, Obote denounced Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA) as composed of Banyarwanda. Subsequently, a failed attempt to force all Rwandan refugees into refugee camps in February 1982 resulted in a massive purge, driving 40,000 refugees back into Rwanda. Rwanda declared that they recognized only 4,000 of these as Rwandan nationals, while Uganda declared that they would take back only 1,000. The remaining 35,000 were left in

920-471: The Hutu, who were primarily agriculturalists. The distinction under colonial powers allowed Tutsis to establish ruling power until a Hutu revolution in 1959 abolished the Tutsi monarchy by 1961. The hostility between the two groups continued, as "additional rounds of ethnic tension and violence flared periodically and led to mass killings of Tutsi in Rwanda, such as in 1963, 1967, and 1973". The establishment of

966-486: The ICTR, the trial of Jean-Paul Akayesu established the legal precedent that genocidal rape falls within the act of genocide. "...the [Trial] Chamber finds that in most cases, the rapes of Tutsi women in Taba, were accompanied with the intent to kill those women. ... In this respect, it appears clearly to the chamber that the acts of rape and sexual violence, as other acts of serious bodily and mental harm committed against

SECTION 20

#1732773235167

1012-428: The RPF conquest of the entire country. The RPF have ruled the country since then as a one-party state , and its current leader, Paul Kagame , became the president of Rwanda in 2000, and remains in office. Since 1994, RPF rule has been characterized by political repression, relative stability, and economic growth. Among other policies implemented by the government are the non-recognition of ethnic identities and

1058-539: The Rwandan government led to the signing of the Arusha Accords in 1993, resulting in RPF personnel and other refugees being allowed to return to the country. On 6 April 1994, President Juvénal Habyarimana 's plane was shot down near Kigali International Airport , killing him and Cyprien Ntaryamira , the President of Burundi . Responsibility for the assassination has not been conclusively established; it

1104-641: The Tribunal's Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and was the Tribunal's channel of communication. The Registry was headed by the Registrar, who was the Representative of the UN Secretary-General . Bongani Christopher Majola of South Africa was Registrar. after January 2013. After an intense and precisely targeted campaign of a number of international non-governmental organizations, which aimed at raising awareness of gendered violence at

1150-420: The Tutsi, reflected the determination to make Tutsi women suffer and to mutilate them even before killing them, the intent being to destroy the Tutsi group while inflicting acute suffering on its members in the process." Presiding judge Navanethem Pillay said in a statement after the verdict: "From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out

1196-465: The attacks. On 15 April, he killed a Tutsi called Murefu. On 15, 16 and 17 April, he directed attacks by giving clear instructions to assailants to attack Tutsi who had sought refuge in the church. Among the assailants of 15 April were the Interahamwe, the gendarmes and the communal police. On 7 July 2006, the Appeals Chamber of the ICTR sentenced Gacumbitsi to life imprisonment. The church is now

1242-575: The case of a judge being absent. The column denoted by # indicates the order of precedence . The Office of the Prosecutor was divided into various units at the height of its activity, including the Investigations Division and the Prosecution Division: The Registry was responsible for the overall administration and management of the ICTR. It also performed other legal functions assigned to it by

1288-475: The current state of Rwanda was partly based on the pre-colonial Kingdom of Rwanda , governed by a Tutsi monarchy. When the European colonialists arrived in Rwanda (Germans from 1899–1916 and Belgians from 1916–1962), the country lost all political, economic, and cultural independence. The colonial rulers chose Rwanda's leaders and set laws in a way that suited their interests. The colonial rulers employed

1334-723: The day-to-day management of the party activities and will serve a five-year term. In July 2024, Rwanda held elections, confirming Paul Kagame 's victory with 99.18% of the votes on July 15. This result reflects the trust many Rwandan citizens still have in him, especially since he played a crucial role in stopping the Rwanda Genocide in 1994. However, the ruling party saw its representation in parliament decrease, securing 37 of 53 directly elected seats, down from 40. Only two candidates were allowed to run against Paul Kagame , while others were barred from participating. The Rwandan Electoral Commission stated that these candidates lacked

1380-615: The divide-and-conquer strategy, spreading the idea that Rwandans : This strategy increased divisions between Tutsi, Hutu , and Batwa . In the early 1950s, Rwandans fought for their independence alongside other African countries. Since Tutsis made up the majority of those who fought for Rwanda's independence, the Belgians started to propagate the idea that Tutsis were outsiders who had originated in Abyssinia or modern-day Ethiopia . The Rwandese Alliance for National Unity ( RANU )

1426-610: The genocide was carried out almost entirely by hand, usually with the utilization of machetes and clubs. Various atrocities committed include the rape of thousands of Tutsi women, as well as the dismemberment and disfigurement of victims. Frequently the killers were people the victims knew personally—neighbors, workmates, former friends, sometimes even relatives through marriage. At least 500,000 Tutsis were killed, and approximately 2 million refugees (mostly Hutus) left for refugee camps of neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and former Zaire. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda

Nyarubuye - Misplaced Pages Continue

1472-480: The killing during the Rwandan genocide was carried out by the radical Hutu groups known as the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi. Radio broadcasts also were an integral part of the genocide, which further fueled the genocide by encouraging Hutu civilians to kill their Tutsi neighbours, labeled as "cockroaches" in need of extermination. Despite its colossal scale, particularly within such a short period of time,

1518-604: The location of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights . In 1998 the operation of the tribunal was expanded in Resolution 1165 . Through several resolutions, the Security Council called on the tribunal to complete its investigations by end of 2004, complete all trial activities by end of 2008, and complete all work in 2012. The tribunal had jurisdiction over genocide , crimes against humanity , and violations of Common Article Three and Additional Protocol II of

1564-401: The mass slaughter of more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu by government-directed gangs of Hutu extremist soldiers and police in Rwanda. The duration of the 1994 genocide is usually described as 100 days, beginning on April 6 and ending in mid-July. The tension between the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi had developed over time but was particularly emphasized late in

1610-452: The nineteenth century and early in the twentieth century as a result of German and Belgian colonialism over Rwanda. The ethnic categorization of the two was an imposed and an arbitrary construct based more on physical characteristics than ethnic background. However, the social differences between the Hutu and the Tutsi have traditionally allowed the Tutsi, with a strong pastoralist tradition, to gain social, economic, and political ascendancy over

1656-556: The original RANU. On 1 October 1990, the Rwandan government led by Juvénal Habyarimana with the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND) party which was known to rule with pro-Hutu policies, was invaded by the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), the wing army force of RPF led by Major-General Fred Gisa Rwigema , the starting of the Rwandan Civil War . The RPA incursion

1702-413: The territory of Rwanda and neighboring states between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994. The tribunal consisted of 16 judges in four "chambers" – three to hear trials, and one to hear appeals. In addition, there were 9 ad litem judges, making 25 in all. All 9 ad litem judges were assigned to Chambers II and III. There was an additional pool of 9 further ad literim judges who would be called on in

1748-463: The vote in the 2003 parliamentary elections , winning 40 of the 53 elected seats in the Chamber of Deputies . The coalition won 42 seats in the 2008 parliamentary elections , and Kagame was re-elected as president in 2010 with 93% of the vote. The 2013 parliamentary elections saw the RPF-led coalition win 41 seats. In 2017, Kagame was re-elected for a third term with 98.8 percent of the vote. He

1794-485: Was also pursuing a case against the current President, Paul Kagame , and other members of his administration, for the assassination of his predecessor. This case was under the regular jurisdiction of the French courts because French citizens were also killed in the plane crash. The majority of genocide cases were handled by the so-called gacaca courts , a modernized customary dispute resolution mechanism. The ICTR indicted

1840-698: Was an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to adjudicate people charged for the Rwandan genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda , or by Rwandan citizens in nearby states, between 1 January and 31 December 1994. The court eventually convicted 61 individuals and acquitted 14. In 1995, it became located in Arusha , Tanzania , under Resolution 977 . From 2006, Arusha also became

1886-495: Was arrested in 2002. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, he was released with a pardon from President Kagame in 2007. In February 1998 Kagame was elected president of the RPF, replacing Alexis Kanyarengwe , and in March 2000 he became the national president. Following a constitutional referendum in 2003, Kagame was elected president with 95% of the vote. The RPF formed a coalition with several smaller parties, which received 74% of

Nyarubuye - Misplaced Pages Continue

1932-426: Was completely stopped when Kigali was captured by the RPF wing army on 4 July. After the RPF stopped the genocide and took control of the country, in 1994, it formed a government of national unity headed by a president, Pasteur Bizimungu . Paul Kagame became Minister of Defense and Vice-President. President Bizimungu served for six years and resigned from government in 2000, after forming his political party, he

1978-462: Was created in December 1979 in Nairobi , Kenya, by young Rwandan Tutsi refugee intellectuals, most of whom had grown up in Uganda. The RANU political organization was established to discuss a possible return to Rwanda. Though primarily a forum for intellectual discussion, it became militant after Milton Obote 's election in 1980 , resulting in many Tutsi refugees joining Yoweri Museveni in fighting

2024-506: Was initially successful, despite the death of Fred Rwigema from a bullet on 2 October. Paul Kagame , who had been doing military studies in the United States, returned to take over the RPA. Thereafter the RPA resorted to guerrilla attacks , focusing on the Byumba and Ruhengeri areas, and gained control of much of the north of the country in 1992. Eventually, negotiations between the RPF and

2070-452: Was sworn in for another seven-year term on 18 August 2017. In the post-genocide era, RPF as a ruling party established Rwanda's national unity and democratic government that continues to challenge itself foremost as a right movement to strive for national unity, democracy, and development. To achieve these since 2000, RPF chairman and president of Rwanda Kagame, has been elected three times to rule Rwanda consecutively. Under his leadership,

2116-506: Was to be completed by 2010. As of 2009, the tribunal had finished 50 trials and convicted 29 accused persons, and another 11 trials were in progress and 14 individuals were awaiting trial in detention; but the prosecutor intended to transfer 5 to national jurisdiction for trial. 13 others were still at large, some suspected to be dead. The United Nations Security Council called upon the tribunal to finish its work by 31 December 2014 to prepare for its closure and transfer of its responsibilities to

#166833