Publication

This publication surveys the structure, scope and procedure of the gacaca trials, as well as the reactions they have generated in post-genocide Rwanda. The author identifies problems with participation, security concerns, the number of people to be tried, and insufficiency of the Rwandan prison system as the biggest challenges to the legitimacy of the trials. The author argues that while there is dissatisfaction on both the survivors' and the perpetrators' end, the trials matter largely from a social and political perspective rather than a judicial one.