KIGALI - A new report by Penal Reform International (PRI) has praised the work done by Gacaca courts in dispensing justice for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
After eight years of monitoring the Gacaca process, PRI launched its final report yesterday. 

At the launch that attracted members of the civil society and the diplomatic community, PRI Coordinator of the Monitoring Programme, Edem Comlan, said that Gacaca courts were able to deal with a large number of cases compared to international criminal tribunals.

"Gacaca courts have helped in dealing with a high genocide caseload” he noted.

"It has played a vital role in creating the space for the truth to emerge”.

He added that Gacaca has contributed to national reconciliation through testimonies and confessions among genocide perpetrators and the survivors.

The courts also addressed the need for geographical proximity and participation of the population to make it more acceptable.

The report urged all actors and observers of the process to take into account its many facets and the expectations generated by its ending, and to integrate them into future approaches in administering justice.

The report also analysed the limitations both conceptual and operational of the Gacaca process and presented the expectations of the various actors of the post-Gacaca phase in terms of reconciliation and reparation process.

PRI is an international non-governmental organization promoting reforms worldwide. It has regional programmes in the Great Lakes (Rwanda and Burundi), the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Asia.

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