System of community justice used in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide
The Gacaca courts (Kinyarwanda:[ɡɑ.t͡ʃɑ̌ː.t͡ʃɑ]) were a system of transitional justice in Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. The term 'gacaca' can be translated as 'short grass' referring to the public space where neighborhood male elders (abagabo) used to meet to solve local problems.[1] The name of this system was then adopted in 2001 as the title of the state's new criminal justice system "Gacaca Courts" (Inkiko Gacaca) to try those deemed responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide where over an estimated 500,000 people were killed, tortured and raped. In 1994, the United Nations Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to try high-ranking government and army officials accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Gacaca Courts were established in law in 2001, began to operate on a trial basis in 2002 and eventually came to operate as trials throughout the country by early 2007.[1] The Gacaca courts were presented as a method of transitional justice, claimed by the Rwandan government to promote communal healing and rebuilding in the wake of the Rwandan Genocide.[2] Rwanda has especially focused on community rebuilding placing justice in the hands of trusted citizens.
However, the system has come under criticism from a number of sources, including the Survivors Fund, which represents survivors of the genocide, due to the danger that it poses to survivors and there have been a number of reports on survivors being targeted for giving evidence at the courts.[3] Scholars have shown how the courts became a critical mechanism for establishing the government's official narrative on the genocide, recognizing only Tutsi as victims and Hutu as perpetrators.[1] Natacha Nsabimana, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago describes how the Gacaca system reinforced a temporal and social framework she termed 'genocide-time,' where "genocidal violence in the past is recounted and made agentive in the present through social interactions and choices made by political subjects in their social-political landscape." She contends this perception influences daily interactions and the collective psyche, which then complicates efforts at genuine reconciliation. Furthermore, Nsabimana points out that the official narrative promoted by Gacaca often oversimplifies the complex identities and histories of individuals, grouping them into broad categories of 'victim' and 'perpetrator,' which does not necessarily reflect their lived realities and personal histories.[4]
^ abcCite error: The named reference markag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"What Is transitional justice?". 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.International Center for Transitional Justice
^McVeigh, Karen (12 March 2006). "Spate of killings obstructs Rwanda's quest for justice". London: The Observer. Retrieved 12 March 2006.
^Nsabimana, Natacha (27 September 2023). "Genocide-time: Political violence reckoning in Rwanda". American Anthropologist. 125 (4): 761-770. doi:10.1111/aman.13927. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
The Gacacacourts (Kinyarwanda: [ɡɑ.t͡ʃɑ̌ː.t͡ʃɑ]) were a system of transitional justice in Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. The term 'gacaca' can be...
the GacacaCourt system. On 18 June 2012, the Gacacacourt system was officially closed after facing criticism. It is estimated that the Gacacacourt system...
making it difficult to prosecute members of the Interahamwe. But the Gacacacourt was put in place to at least attempt to get the killers in jail. It has...
thousands of Hutu were imprisoned pending the establishment of the Gacacacourts. Millions of Hutu fled as refugees, contributing to large refugee camps...
original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2008. "Karongi Gacacacourt hands life sentence to Kagaba". October 7, 2011. "Inmates grateful as...
website. Intended Consequences (2008). By Jonathan Torgovnik on MediaStorm Gacaca Film Series (2002–2009) Official site for the documentary film series that...
projects record and substantiate survivor testimony and recording the Gacacacourt process. The Memorial has had hundreds of thousands of visitors. The...
Resolution 935 Opération "Turquoise" Aftermath Great Lakes refugee crisis Gacacacourt First Congo War (Massacres of Hutus) Second Congo War Resources Bibliography...
Resolution 935 Opération "Turquoise" Aftermath Great Lakes refugee crisis Gacacacourt First Congo War (Massacres of Hutus) Second Congo War Resources Bibliography...
portfolio, and named Attorney-General in 2007. He was a defender of the Gacacacourt system which was introduced to deal with those accused as a result of...
Resolution 935 Opération "Turquoise" Aftermath Great Lakes refugee crisis Gacacacourt First Congo War (Massacres of Hutus) Second Congo War Resources Bibliography...
Resolution 935 Opération "Turquoise" Aftermath Great Lakes refugee crisis Gacacacourt First Congo War (Massacres of Hutus) Second Congo War Resources Bibliography...
and became a Dutch citizen in 2004. She was convicted in absentia by a gacacacourt in Rwanda. Basebya was arrested on June 22, 2010, on suspicion of involvement...
returning genocidaires would face justice, most probably through the gacacacourt system. It was stated that if all of the FDLR commanders, who are believed...
flowers at the remains of the school dormitory before attending a nearby Gacacacourt to recount her experiences in the genocide. Idris Elba as Augustin Muganza...
genocide in which up to 1,000,000 people died. On 3 December 2003 a Rwandan court in Rukira, Kibungo found 18 people guilty of genocide crimes. Gitera Rwamuhizi...
Resolution 935 Opération "Turquoise" Aftermath Great Lakes refugee crisis Gacacacourt First Congo War (Massacres of Hutus) Second Congo War Resources Bibliography...
French courts because French citizens were also killed in the plane crash. The majority of genocide cases were handled by the so-called gacacacourts, a modernized...
genocide took place. Her mother was given a lifetime prison sentence by a Gacacacourt for being a participant in the genocide. Mukazayire has spoken about...
charges. Although other women have been convicted of genocide by Rwandan courts, Nyiramasuhuko is the first woman to be convicted by the ICTR. Her son was...
Court President, Vice President, and 12 judges. Established in 2001, the GacacaCourt was established by the National Unity Government to try cases of genocide...
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