Rwanda

Rwanda

International Treaties

1. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ratified 1975) 

2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ratified 1975)

3. Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified 1991)

4. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (ratified 1981)

5. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (acceded 1962)

6. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ratified 2008)

Regional Treaties

1. African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1998 (ratified 1983) 

2. Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ratified 2003)

3. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) (created in November 1994 to judge 1 violations between January and 31 December 1994)

4. African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ratified 2001) 

Domestic Law

1. Constitution of Rwanda (2003 with Amendments through 2015)

2. Law N°59/2008 on Prevention and Punishment of Gender-based violence (10 September 2008) 

3. Penal Code of Rwanda, Organic Law N° 01/2012/OL (02 May 2012)

Case Law

(i) Case Title : The Prosecutor v. Jean-Paul Akayesu  

Case Citation : ICTR-96-4-T

Charges : On 2 September 1998, Trial Chamber I finds Jean-Paul Akayesu guilty of nine out of fifteen counts charging him with genocide, crimes against humanity and violation s of Geneva Convention in the first ever trial before the Tribunal. 

Sentence : The accused should serve a single sentence of life imprisonment. 

Country : Tanzania

 Link: https://ucr.irmct.org/LegalRef/CMSDocStore/Public/English/Judgement/NotIndexable/ICTR-96-04/MSC15217R0000619817.PDF

(ii) Case Title : The Prosecutor v. Clément Kayishema and Obed Ruzindana 

Case Citation : ICTR-95-1-A

Charges : On 1 June 2001, Trial Chamber II charged Kayishema with 24 counts as prefect of Kibuye with involvement as a superior in the massacres which occurred from April to June 1994. Ruzindana was charged with five counts for his role in the crimes committed between 9 April and 30 June 1994. 

Sentence : Kayishema was sentenced to life imprisonment and Ruzindana to twenty)five years’ imprisonment.  

Country : Tanzania

 Link: https://ucr.irmct.org/LegalRef/CMSDocStore/Public/English/Judgement/NotIndexable/ICTR-95-01/MSC16634R0000621564.PDF

(iii) Case Title : The Prosecutor v. Jean Kambanda 

Case Citation : ICTR-97-23-A

Charges : On 4 September 1998, Jean Kambanda, the former Rwandan Prime Minister, pleaded guilty to genocide and crimes against humanity (murder and extermination).

Sentence :  Trial Chamber I had sentenced Kambanda to life imprisonment.  

Country : Tanzania

 Link: https://ucr.irmct.org/LegalRef/CMSDocStore/Public/English/Judgement/NotIndexable/ICTR-97-23/MSC13781R0000529816.PDF

(iv) Case Title : The Prosecutor v. Ferdinand Nahimana, jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Hassan Ngeze (Media Case) 

Case Citation : ICTR-99-52-T

Charges : On 3 December 2003, Trial Chamber I found the three accused guilty of conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, direct and publict incitement to commit genocide and persecution and extermination as crimes against humanity. They were found not guilty of complicity in genocide and of murder as a crime against humanity. 

Sentence : Nahimana and Ngeze were sentenced to life imprisonment. Barayagwiza was sentenced to twenty-seven years, three months and twenty-one days.

Country : Tanzania

 Link: https://ucr.irmct.org/LegalRef/CMSDocStore/Public/English/Judgement/NotIndexable/ICTR-99-52/MSC26797R0000541998.PDF

Reports of the United Nations​

  1. Resolution 872 (1993) adopted by the Security Council 

  2. Resolution 955 (1994) adopted by the Security Council

  3. Report of the Independent Inquiry into the actions of the United Nations during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda

  4. Security Council Press Statement on Situation in Democratic Republic of Congo (26 January 2025

Reports of other International/Regional Organisations / National Governments ​

1. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, ‘Prosecution of Sexual Violence Best Practices Manual for the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Violence Crimes in Post-Conflict Regions: Lessons Learned from the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda’ (30 January 2014)

2. A call for UN human rights action on Rwanda and Burundi, AI Index: IOR 41/02/94 , Amnesty International (May 1994)

3. ‘Leave None to Tell the Story” Human Rights Watch (1 March 2001)

4. ‘Rwanda: reports of killings and abductions by the Rwandan Patriotic Army’ Amnesty International (19 October 1994)

Books/Articles /Documents/ Research Papers / Workshops / Publications ​

1. Broken Bodies, Torn Spirits Living with Genocide, Rape and HIV/AIDS, A Publication of African Rights, April 2004 

2. Buss D.E., Rethinking ‘Rape as a Weapon of War’ , Feminist Legal Studies, Vol. 17, pp. 145-163,  April 2009

3. De Brouwer A.M., “The Men Who Killed Me” (23 March 2010) 

4. De Brouwer A.M., “The importance of understanding sexual violence in conflict for investigation and prosecution purposes” Cornell International Law Journal, 48(3), 2015 

5. Kaitesi, U., ‘Genocidal gender and sexual violence. The legacy of the ICTR, Rwanda’s ordinary courts and gacaca courts’ (2013)

6. Vojdik V.K., Sexual Violence Against Men and Women in War: a Masculinities Approach, 1 July 2013 

7. Max Fisher, UN Report on Rwanda Genocide Shakes Africa, Did the Rwandan military kill thousands in retribution?, The Atlantic

8. Nicole Winfield, UN Failed Rawanda , Associated Press/ Nando Media, December 16, 1999

9. Filip Reyntjens, 25 Years On : International (Non) Response to Genocide , Clingendael Spectator, 17 JUL 2019 

Website ​

1. Clay D., & Lemarchand R., “Rwanda”, Encyclopaedia Britannica  

2. United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner 

3. Lessons from the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, 25 years after the genocide it failed to stop, The Conversation, September 5, 2019 

4. UNHCR Rwanda 

News

1.  Rwanda genocide: World failed us in 1994, BBC

2. Rwanda: Genocide Archives Released, human Rights Watch

3. Rwandan leader blames the world’s inaction as it commemorates the 1994 genocide with lingering scars, NBC News

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