10.12.09 - RWANDA/GACACA - GACACA COURTS TO CLOSE CASES BY FEBRUARY

Arusha, December 10, 2009 (FH) - The Legal Affairs Head of National Gacaca Courts Service, Gratien Dusingizimana, has said that just slightly above 2,000 cases are yet to be completed as it approaches to wind up trials in the next two months.

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The semi-traditional Gacaca courts were introduced after the 1994 genocide to deal with over a million cases of persons suspected of taking part in the killings. The courts are presided not by professional judges but by people considered of high esteem in the society.

In a presentation made during the closure of the Unity and Reconciliation week in Kigali Wednesday, Dusingizimana expressed optimism that the backlog would be cleared before Gacaca's closure next year, reported pro-government New Times.

"We expect that by the end of this month, that backlog of cases (2,261) will have gone down substantially," Dusingizimana was quoted to have said.

Over one million cases have been completed by Gacaca,  but exact  figure would be availed in February.

Of all the country's five provinces, the Southern Province stands out with the biggest number of cases yet to be completed (967) while the Northern Province has the least with 77.

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