24 May 2007 - Gacaca v. The International Human Rights Community

So…yesterday I attended a meeting with the Commission Nationale des Droits de l’Homme (The National Human Rights Commission). It was basically a chance for the various human rights organizations to check in with the National Service of Gacaca Courts as well as voice their complaints. The meeting was conducted in French, English, and Kinyarwanda. It was over 3 hours long, and like any meeting was fascinating at points, but very long and tedious for most of it. But, I learned a lot, so I am really thankful I had a chance to attend.

Gacaca recently passed a ton of amendments to their Organic Law. The meeting went over all of the changes. And then all of the organizations present at the meeting basically just attacked the Gacaca Courts. This of course is the job of the human rights organizations. They are meant to monitor the Courts and report on any problems. It’s just difficult because it seems that the National Service of Gacaca Courts is trying their best with what little resources they have. Of course there are going to be problems. There is no efficient way to deal with the Genocide. And it is virtually impossible in a country lacking basic resources.

I couldn’t follow the whole meeting (I of course speak no Kinyarwanda), but I was quite pleased that I could follow the discussions in French. I couldn’t understand all of it, and I am terrified to attempt an actual conversation in French, but I do understand some of it. For those of you who know my complete lack of talent for foreign languages may be quite shocked. However, when I’ve attempted to communicate in French (which basically has been with taxi drivers) some Spanish starts to come out…Oops. I kept wondering why they didn’t understand me…Yeah…it was because I was speaking in Spanish with a really poor French accent.

There have been quite a few changes to the Organic Law (this is the law Gacaca is based on) including changes to the categories. The Courts have categorized people into 3 (it used to be 4) different categories based on their involvement in the Genocide. So much has changed since I studied the Courts in 2003. It’s been a little confusing to get my head around all of it. I think most of the changes are to speed up the process. It’s been almost 15 years, and they’ve yet to really begin the trials. From what I’ve understood so far, they’ve only had a pilot run of the trials. There is still so much work to be done. And although justice needs to be done (or perceived to be done) there are so many other pressing matters to be dealt with here; poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria, the fact the majority of the population is under 20. People are just trying to make it to live another day and yet there is still this huge atrocity from just a few years ago continuously lingering over them.

Apparently Louise Arbour is currently in Rwanda. She is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is coming to the office in less than an hour. Fingers crossed I can sneak into the meeting…even though it will most likely be in French. Argh! I really should have spent more time on French instead of trying to learn Spanish. Oh well!