The courts of genocide : politics and the rule of law in Rwanda and Arusha

244 Pages·2010·3.65 MB·English

by  Nicholas A Jones

The Courts of Genocide
The Courts of Genocide focuses on the judicial response to the genocide in
Rwanda in order to address the search for justice following mass atrocities.
The central concern of the book is how the politics of justice can get in the
wayofitsadministration.ConsideringboththeICTR(InternationalCriminal
Tribunal for Rwanda), and all of the politics surrounding its work, and the
Rwandan approach (the Gacaca courts and the national judiciary) and the
politics that surround it, The Courts of Genocide addresses the relationship
between these three ‘courts’ which, whilst oriented by similar concerns, stand
in stark opposition to each other. In this respect, the book addresses a series
ofquestions,including: WhataspectsoftheRwandan genocideitself playeda
role in directing the judicial response that has been adopted? On what basis
did the Government of Rwanda decide to address the genocide in a legalistic
manner? Aroundwhat goals has each judicialresponsebeenorganized? What
are the specific procedures and processes of this response? And, finally, what
challenges does its multifaceted character create for those involved in its
operation, as well as for Rwandan society? Addressing conceptual issues of
restorative and retributive justice, liberal-legalism and cosmopolitan law, The
Courts of Genocide constitutes a substantially grounded reflection upon the
problem of ‘doing justice’ after genocide.
Nicholas A. Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice
Studies at the University of Regina.

The Courts of Genocide
Politics and the Rule of Law in Rwanda
and Arusha
Nicholas A. Jones
Firstpublished2010
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN
SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
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AGlassHousebook
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
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©2010NicholasA.Jones
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedor
utilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,now
knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orin
anyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwriting
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationData
Jones,NicholasA.,1968–
Thecourtsofgenocide:politicsandtheruleoflawinRwandaand
Arusha/NicholasA.Jones.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
1.Criminaljustice,Administrationof–Internationalcooperation.2.
Politicalquestionsandjudicialpower.3.Internationalcriminalcourts.4.
InternationalTribunalforRwanda.5.Gacacajusticesystem.6.Genocide–
Rwanda7.Criminalcourts –Rwanda.8.Restorativejustice–Rwanda.9.
Rwanda–History–CivilWar,1994–Atrocities.I.Title.
K5001.J662009
345.6757100251–dc22
2009013257
ISBN 0-203-88080-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0-415-49070-7 (hbk)
ISBN10:0-203-88080-3(ebk)
ISBN13:978-0-415-49070-2(hbk)
ISBN13:978-0-203-88080-7(ebk)
This book is dedicated to the victims and survivors of the Rwandan
Genocide in 1994 and to everyone, despite the tragedy of the past,
working to achieve justice and reconciliation in a country demon-
strating strength and determination as its people move forward.

Contents
List of tables and figures xi
Acknowledgements xii
Map: Republic of Rwanda: locations of 1994 genocide massacres xiv
1 The Rwandan genocide and the judicial response 1
What is genocide? 3
The adjudication of the Rwandan genocide 7
The Gacacacourts 8
The Rwandancriminalcourts 9
The InternationalCriminalTribunal forRwanda(ICTR) 9
Other relevant jurisdictions 10
Military trials 10
Genocide trials inotherforeignjurisdictions 11
Looking forward 13
2 A historical and conceptual framework for understanding justice in
the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide 16
A brief history of ethnicity and politics in Rwanda 17
Pre-colonialethnic relations andpolitical organization 17

The colonial era:theinstitutionalizationofethnicityandTutsipolitical
dominance 20
The Hutu socialrevolutionin1959:thereversalofethnic politics 23
Post-colonial Rwandanpolitical structure:the firstandsecondrepublics:
1959–92 25
The ArushaAccords of1992 26
Critical contextual aspects of the genocide 28
The international context 32
Conceptual framework 33
Restorativeandretributivejustice 33
Responsiveregulation 36
Liberal-legalism: theuseoftrialswithin thecontextofmassatrocity 38
viii Contents
Cosmopolitan law 41
The ruleoflaw 43
3 The Gacaca courts 51
The history and development of the Gacaca 53
Anthropologicalconsiderations 54
Legalconsiderations 57
Confession andpleabargainingprocedures 63
The trialprocess 65
Religious considerations 67
Gacaca courts and the search for justice 68
Restorativeandretributivejustice? 68
Responsiveregulation 72
Liberal-legalism intheGacaca 74
Ruleoflaw 74
4 The Rwandan national judiciary 80
Historical issues impacting the current judiciary 80
Problems facing the judiciary in the immediate aftermath
of the genocide 81
Massivearrestsandburgeoningprison population 82
A consequenceofgenocide:a depletedjudiciary 84
Domestic Rwandanlawdidnot includegenocide crimes 84
The specializedchambersforgenocide trials 85
A system in transition: judicial reform 89
Constitutional reform 89
Judicialrestructuring 91
Competencyofjudicialpersonnel 93
Relationship totheGacaca 94
Relationship to the ICTR 95
Restorative and/or retributive justice 98
Responsive regula tion 98
Liberal-legalism 99
Rule of law 100
5 The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 104
Factors contributing to the creation of the ICTR 105
The ICTR: organizational structure 109
The chambers 109
The OfficeoftheProsecutor(OTP) 112
The Registry 115
The ICTRStatuteandthe conceptofjurisdiction 119
Contents ix
Jurisdictional mandateoftheICTRandthesuspectedcrimes
oftheRPF 121
ICTR casesandbudget 124
RestorativeandretributivejusticeattheICTR 125
The ICTRandresponsiveregulation 127
Liberal-legalism 127
The ICTRandtherule oflawinRwanda andinternationally 128
6 International jurisprudence: definitions of the crimes and
the key precedents 132
TheICTRStatuteandthecrimesitischarged withprosecuting 132
Genocide 133
Crimes againsthumanity 134
Hierarchyofcrimes? 136
Precedent-settingcases at theICTR 137
Prosecutorv Jean-PaulAkayesu(CaseNoICTR-96-4-T) 138
Genocide 138
Individualresponsibility 140
Intent: dolusspecialis 142
Rapeasacrimeofgenocide 142
Prosecutorv JeanKambanda (CaseNoICTR-97-23-A) 144
Factorsrelevantinsentencing at theICTR 144
Prosecutorv Ferdinand Nahimana,Jean-Bosco Barayagwizaand
HassanNgeze(CaseNo ICTR-99-52-T):theMediaCase 148
The impactofthesecases 150
7 Issues impacting the search for justice: witness protection, hearsay
evidence, and pleabargaining 156
Witness protection 156
The ICTRwitnessprotectionstrategy 161
Hearsayevidence 164
Plea bargaining: n egating a judicial outcome 167
The confession procedure within Rwanda 168
The ICTR 172
8 Conclusions, predictions, and reflections 180
Overall judgements 180
The Gacaca 182
The Rwandan national judiciary 182
The International Crime Tribunal for Rwanda 184
The achievement of their shared mandate for Rwandans 185
Reflections 187
Restorativeandretributivejustice 187