Rwanda releases 533 genocide convicts
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
The Rwandan government has released at least 533 people convicted of taking part in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, after they fully served their sentences. The authorities plan civic rehabilitation before their return to their communities, in a country where more than 100,000 people have been convicted, according to minister Olivier Nduhungirehe.
Rwanda has released at least 533 people convicted of taking part in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, after they had fully served their sentences, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe announced. The former detainees underwent a civic rehabilitation and training programme before returning to their communities, under the supervision of the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement.
The measure is part of a policy that has led to the release of tens of thousands of convicted people over the past 25 years, according to Olivier Nduhungirehe. More than 100,000 people were tried and convicted for the 1994 massacres, which killed more than one million people in about 100 days, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutu.
Rwanda created the Gacaca community courts, which operated from 2002 to 2012, to handle the volume of cases after the genocide. These local courts examined nearly 1.9 million cases, encouraging confessions and confrontation between victims and defendants. Minister of National Unity Jean-Damascène Bizimana warned the former detainees against any resurgence of genocidal ideology and any incitement to ethnic divisions.
