When genocidal violence gripped Rwanda in 1994, the international community recoiled, hastily withdrawing its peacekeepers. Late that year, in an effort to redeem itself, the United Nations Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to seek accountability for some of the worst atrocities since World War II: the genocide suffered by the Tutsi and crimes against humanity suffered by the Hutu. But faced with competing claims, the prosecution focused exclusively on the crimes of Hutu extremists. No charges would be brought against the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, which ultimately won control of the country. The UN, as if racked by guilt for its past inaction, gave in to pressure by Rwanda’s new leadership. With the Hutu effectively silenced, and the RPF constantly reminding the international community of its failure to protect the Tutsi during the war, the Tribunal pursued an unusual form of one-sided justice, born out of contrition. Fascinated by the Tribunal’s rich complexities, journalist Thierry Cruvellier came back day after day to watch the proceedings, spending more time there than any other outside observer. Gradually he gained the confidence of the victims, defendants, lawyers, and judges. Drawing on interviews with these protagonists and his close observations of their interactions, Cruvellier takes readers inside the courtroom to witness the motivations, mechanisms, and manipulations of justice as it unfolded on the stage of high-stakes, global politics. It is this ground-level view that makes his account so valuable—and so absorbing. A must-read for those who want to understand the dynamics of international criminal tribunals, Court of Remorse reveals both the possibilities and the challenges of prosecuting human rights violations. A Choice Outstanding Academic Book Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the American Association for School Libraries and the Public Library Association Best Books for High Schools, selected by the American Association for School Libraries

The Elgar Companion to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is a one-stop reference resource on this complex tribunal, established in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which closed its doors on 31 December 2015. This Companion provides an insightful account of the workings and legacy of the ICTR in the field of international criminal justice.

This is the first comprehensive ethnographic account of an international criminal court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

This comprehensive Companion examines the achievements and challenges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s first permanent international criminal tribunal. It provides an overview of the first two decades of the ICC’s existence, investigating the dominant narratives and counter-narratives that have emerged about the institution and its work.

The rise of international criminal trials has been accompanied by a call for domestic responses to extraordinary violence. Yet there is remarkably limited research on the interactions among local, national, and international transitional justice institutions. Rwanda offers an early example of multilevel courts operating in concert. This book makes a crucial and timely contribution to the examination of these pluralist responses to atrocity at a juncture when holistic approaches are rapidly becoming the policy norm. It focuses on the practices of Rwanda's post-genocide criminal courts.

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, grade: A-, University of Basel (Europainstitut), course: Friedensförderungsseminar, language: English, abstract: ABSTRACT Aim of paper This paper deals with the effectiveness and achievements of ICTR that can be viewed in light of aims set out in the UN Resolution 955, 1994. In the Resolution UN is determined to: 1) have effective application and enforcement of restrictions against the warfare perpetrators; 2) bring justice and ensure that violations are halted; 3) have fair trials; 4) contribute to criminal justice and process of reconciliation and restoration and maintenance of peace. Hypotheses In the present paper author put forward two hypotheses. The first hypothesis is that creation of ICTR was a logical, but moderate step, which would have not been necessary if global society would have appropriately reacted to previous warnings about possible genocide in Rwanda. The second hypothesis is that ICTR was merely a vehicle of justice, but it is hardly designed as a vehicle for reconciliation. Analytical framework Author has discussed the work of ICTR and refer to particular aims, possibility of their achievement and assess outcomes. Author used three tools of analytical framework: legal, political and economical, as from these different standing points it is possible to assess the work of ICTR in its entirety. Legal aspects of work of ICTR extend from mere procedural points to ICTR's contribution to legal tradition and legal developments. Author depicted which of legal aspects have undermined the authority and image of ICTR, as well as could be deemed as actual shortcomings, and how these aspects influence achievement of justice as the ultimate goal of legal authority. Financial aspect shows the costs of ICTR, but political aspect deals with assessment of set goals in the Resolution and bringing justice as a prerogative, as it is expected to be effecti

This book is a guide to the law that applies in the three international criminal tribunals, for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, set up by the UN during the period 1993 to 2002 to deal with atrocities and human rights abuses committed during conflict in those countries. Building on the work of an earlier generation of war crimes courts, these tribunals have developed a sophisticated body of law concerning the elements of the three international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes), and forms of participation in such crimes, as well as other general principles of international criminal law, procedural matters and sentencing. The legacy of the tribunals will be indispensable as international law moves into a more advanced stage, with the establishment of the International Criminal Court. Their judicial decisions are examined here, as well as the drafting history of their statutes and other contemporary sources.

Both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) are now about to close. Bachmann and Fatic look back at the achievements and shortcomings of both tribunals from an interdisciplinary perspective informed by sociology, political science, history, and philosophy of law and based upon on two key notions: the concepts of legitimacy and efficiency. The first asks to what extent the input (creation) of, the ICTY and the ICTR can be regarded as legitimate in light of the legal and public debate in the early 1990s. The second confronts the output (the procedures and decisions) of the ICTY and the ICTR with the tasks both tribunals were assigned by the UN Security Council, the General Assembly, and by key organs (the president and the chief prosecutors). The authors investigate to what extent the ICTY and the ICTR have delivered the expected results, whether they have been able to contribute to 'the maintenance of peace', 'stabilization' of the conflict regions, or even managed to provide 'reconciliation' to Rwanda. Furthermore, the book is concerned with how many criminals, over whom the ICTY and the ICTR wield jurisdiction, have actually been prosecuted and at what cost. Offering the first balanced and in depth analysis of the International Criminal Tribunals, the volume provides an important insight into what lessons have been learned, and how a deeper understanding of the successes and failures can benefit the international legal community in the future.

This book offers a thorough analysis of the establishment and the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Furthermore, it gives insight into how the Rwanda Tribunal has operated in practice during its first ten years and it examines the case law on the three major international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The author provides a balanced judgement of the contribution of the Rwanda Tribunal towards the development of international criminal law, emphasizing its strong points, in particular the case law on genocide, but also exposing its weaknesses in terms of legal reasoning. The author also demonstrates the inherent limits of the Rwanda Tribunal due to the political and social situation within Rwanda and due to its own Statute.