The Gacaca (pronounced "gachacha") court is part of a system of community justice inspired by tradition and established in 2001 in Rwanda, in the wake of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, when between 800,000 and 1,071,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsi, were slaughtered. After the Genocide, the new Rwandan Patriotic Front's government struggled with developing just means for the humane detention and prosecution of the more than 100,000 people accused of genocide, war crimes, and related crimes against humanity. In 2001, there were 130,000 prisoners in Rwandan prisons, and it was estimated that it would take 200 years to judge everyone.^{[citations needed]} In two rounds in 2004 and 2005 about 50.000 prisoners have been released. Just recently (January 2007) it has been decided to release another 8000 prisoners. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Nyarubuye Massacre is the name given to the killing of an estimated 20,000 civilians at the Nyarubuye Roman Catholic Church and took place on 15-April 16, 1994 in the province of Kibungo, 140 km (60 miles) east of the Rwandan capital Kigali. ... // Belgium Belgium was extremely shocked by the events of 1994. ... // People Paul Rusesabagina - sheltered both Tutsis and Hutus during the genocide Théodore Sindikubwabo - interim president of Rwanda. ... This is a bibliography of books, websites and other sources providing information on the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. ... The Interahamwe (Kinyarwanda meaning Those Who Stand Together or Those Who Fight Together) was the most important of the militias formed by the Hutu ethnic majority of Rwanda and, together with the smaller Impuzamugambi, was responsible for over 800,000 deaths in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. ... The Hutu are a Central African ethnic group, living mainly in Rwanda and Burundi. ... The Impuzamugambi (sometimes Impuza Mugambi), which means Those who have the same goal or Those who have a single goal in the Kinyarwanda language, was a Hutu militia in Rwanda formed in 1992. ... The Hutu are a Central African ethnic group, living mainly in Rwanda and Burundi. ... The Rwandan Patriotic Front (also translated as: Rwandese Patriotic Front; or referred to as: Patriotic Front of Rwanda) abbreviated as RPF (also often referred to as FPR from French: Front patriotique rwandais) is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa and the Hutu. ... The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was a relief mission instituted by the United Nations. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) was a Rwandan radio station which broadcast from 8 July 1993 to 31 July 1994. ... Wanted poster for the ICTR The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is a court under the auspices of the United Nations for the prosecution of offenses committed in Rwanda during the genocide which occurred there during April, 1994, commencing on April 6. ... Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 biographical and historical drama film about the Rwandan Genocide, directed by Irish filmmaker Terry George. ... Shake Hands with the Devil is a Canadian dramatic feature film currently in production starring Roy Dupuis as Roméo Dallaire. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: it is patent nonsense. ... Sometimes In April is a narrative film (not a documentary) detailing the Rwandan Genocide that occurred during 1994. ... A community usually refers to a group of people who interact and share certain things as a group, but it can refer to various collections of living things sharing an environment, plant or animal. ... This article is about the concept of justice. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this section may require cleanup. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa, the other two being the Twa and the Hutu. ... The Rwandan Patriotic Front (also translated as: Rwandese Patriotic Front; or referred to as: Patriotic Front of Rwanda) abbreviated as RPF (also often referred to as FPR from French: Front patriotique rwandais) is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... Detention generally refers to a state or government holding a person in a particular area, either for interrogation, as punishment for a wrong, or as a precautionary measure while investigating a potential threat posed by that person. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that regulates governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order. ... Look up Genocide in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

In response, Rwanda implemented the Gacaca court system, which has evolved from traditional cultural communal law enforcement procedures. However, the system has come under criticism from a number of sources, including the Survivors Fund, which represents survivors of the genocide, due to the danger that it poses to survivors. There has been a number of reports about survivors being targeted for giving evidence at the courts.^[1] A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermanns Microcosm of London (1808-11). ... For the band, see The Police. ...

Official Objectives of the Gacaca Court System

The "mission" of this system is to achieve "truth, justice, [and] reconciliation." It aims to promote community healing by making the punishment of perpetrators faster and less expensive to the state.

According to the official Rwandan government website of the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions, the "Gacaca Courts" system has the following objectives:

• The reconstruction of what happened during the genocide
• The speeding up of the legal proceedings by using as many courts as possible
• The reconciliation of all Rwandans and building their unity

The Supreme Court [of Rwanda] has been endowed with a 6th court called "Gacaca Courts Department" in order to co-ordinate and supervise the activities of the various courts without having to interfere with the decisions that they will have to make [and] in order to keep the national as well as the international community informed about the evolution of the Gacaca Courts' activities.

Since 2002, Gacaca Courts Department was replaced by the National Service of Gacaca Courts so as to coordinate the Gacaca Courts activities and speed up this process. (Introd., National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions)

Tradition of Gacaca

Originally, the Gacaca settled village or familial disputes. They were constituted as village assemblies, presided by the ancients, where each one could ask to speak. Gacaca (Kinyarwanda) translated roughly into English means "justice on the grass," as grass is the gathering place. The Gacaca court is thus a system of grassroots legal bodies, "inspired by tradition" (Introd.).^{[citations needed]} Contents // Categories: Bantu languages | Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Languages of Rwanda | Languages of Uganda | Language stubs ... A grassroots political movement is one driven by the constituents of a community. ...

The current Rwandan Gacaca court system, as established in March 2001, involves both plaintiffs and witnesses in an interactive court proceeding against alleged criminals who took part in the genocide.^{[citations needed]} A plaintiff, also known as a claimant or complainer, is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an action) before a court. ... This page is about witnesses in law courts. ... for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ...

Traditionally, village elders called Inyangamugayo (Kinyarwanda for "uncorrupted" — intègre in French) would convene all parties to a crime and mediate a solution involving reparations or some act of contrition.^{[citations needed]} In response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide the government established a system of grassroots legal bodies known as Gacaca courts. ... Contents // Categories: Bantu languages | Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Languages of Rwanda | Languages of Uganda | Language stubs ...

The judges now qualified as Inyangamugayo, who also have basic judicial training, are among 250, 000 individuals elected by Rwandans to serve in the Gacaca courts, which are in charge of judging two (of the three) categories of people accused of implication in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.^{[citations needed]} Judges may refer to the Book of Judges in the Bible more than one judge. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this section may require cleanup. ...

The defendants do not have lawyers, but all village people can participate and intervene, either against or in favor of the defendant. A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ... English barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ...

The first judgment of the operational phase took place on March 11, 2005.^{[citations needed]} March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Classification of crimes into four categories

The Act on the Organization and Pursuits of Crimes of Genocide or Crimes Against Humanity of August 1996 created four categories of alleged criminals:

• planners, organizers and leaders of the Genocide, charges against those who have acted in positions of authority, presumed infamous assassins as well as those alleged to have committed sexual crimes involving torture or rape
• perpetrators, co-perpetrators, or accomplices of voluntary homicide or violence with the intention to cause death or serious bodily harm leading to death
• perpetrators of serious bodily injury to others without intention to murder
• perpetrators of crimes resulting in property damage.^{[citations needed]}

By combining the second and third category, this has been brought back to three categories. In politics, authority (Latin auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to potestas and imperium) is often used interchangeably with the term power. However, their meanings differ. ...

The first category of alleged criminals (those accused of planning or leading the Genocide and those accused of torture, rape or other sexual crimes) will be (and in some cases already are) prosecuted before State (national) criminal courts. The gacaca do not have jurisdiction over crimes of the first category. The Gacaca courts will adjudicate the two other remaining categories ("simple" murder, bodily injury, property damage), which has started early 2006. Capital punishment remains an exclusive prerogative of the State.^{[citations needed]} Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...

See also

• Court of law
• Crime against humanity
• Ethnic cleansing
• Genocide
• History of Rwanda
• Politics of Rwanda
• Rwandan Genocide
• Survivors Fund

This article is about courts of law. ... A crime against humanity is a term originating in Western system international law that refers to acts of persecution or any large scale atrocities against a body of people, as being the criminal offence above all others. ... Ethnic cleansing refers to various policies or practices aimed at the displacement of an ethnic group from a particular territory. ... Look up Genocide in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... After its military victory in July 1994, the Rwandese Patriotic Front organized a coalition government similar to that established by President Juvénal Habyarimana in 1992. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions Official Rwandan government website.
• Transitional Justice Penal Reform International's information on the Gacaca process.
• Survivors Fund Website of the organisation representing and supporting survivors of the Rwandan genocide.
• "Rwanda Starts Prisoner Releases." Online posting. BBC News 29 July 2005.
• In Rwanda we say . . . The family that does not speak dies and Gacaca: Living Together Again in Rwanda? Two films on gacaca and the legacy of genocide in Rwanda, written and dir. by Anne Aghion.
• In the Tall Grass Film exploring gacaca and the legacy of genocide in Rwanda, written and dir. by J. Coll Metcalfe.
• Gacaca Courts in Post-Genocide Rwanda Full report on the Gacaca Courts in Rwanda by Radha Webley of UC Berkeley War Crimes Study Center 2005.

The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ...

References

• Stover, Eric and Weinstein, Harvey (2004). My Neighbor, My Enemy: Justice and Community in the Aftermath of Mass Atrocity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-54264-2.

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ...

Literature

Susanne Buckley-Zistel (2006): 'The Truth Heals?' Gacaca Jurisdictions and the Consolidation of Peace in Rwanda. Die Friedens-Warte Heft 1-2, pp. 113-130.

Simon Gasiberege/Stella Babalola (2001): Perceptions about the Gacaca Law in Rwanda. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University.