100 Days in Rwanda

Yesterday we took a field trip to Arusha to see the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR www.unictr.org). Here, in court, the United Nations is (still!) persecuting those that lead the 1994 genocide of almost 1 million people in 100 days in Rwanda. The purpose of this tribunal is to contribute to national reconciliation in Rwanda and to maintain peace in the region. It was fascinating, horrifying, and completely eye-opening to witness this large piece of history I did not know nearly enough about. I am renting the movie Hotel Rwanda right when I get back.

There are many things that are horrifying about the intended extinction that resulted in 20% of Rwanda's population being mass murdered. The genocide was initiated by those in the Hutu militia against those in the Tutsi tribe (minority party). Many of the members of the Hutu power group held leadership positions in the national government. Not only was it supported by the government, but the mass murders were orchestrated by  the Prime Minister (now sentenced to life in prison), the military, clergy, and the mass media. Mind-blowing.

This tribunal shows that it is possible to bring justice for these types of crimes. 80 trials are complete thus far. 10 have been acquitted and there are still 9 fugitives. The last fugitive was found in Texas if you can believe it.

We received a tour of ICTR and learned the details of this major moment in history with the reconciliation happening right in front of us. I enjoyed nerding out in the library and asking zillions of questions.We even got a glimpse at the appeal of Gaspard Kanyarukiga. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2010 for masterminding the genocide. Court is open to the public.

So, as we head into this next election season and I complain about how screwed up things are in our country, I will remind myself what corrupt politics really looks like.