Many survivors in Rwanda fear that with the official closure of the gacaca courts on Monday, their right to reparation will be ignored forever, reads a written statement released on Sunday.
Juergen Schurr, REDRESS’ Legal Advisor, said: “As the Rwandan Government celebrates the achievements of gacaca over the past 10 years, it is now important to also address its shortcomings, including the lack of compensation for moral and bodily damage for survivors of the genocide.”
Research published this month by Legal Aid Forum (Rwanda) based on interviews with over 2,700 claimants in Rwanda shows that gacaca court judgments are the “hardest to enforce”, with 92% of all genocide-related judgments yet to be enforced.
SRE-ER/GF