A meeting took place last week in the Eastern Province that would answer anyone’s questions, especially those who have taken it upon themselves to question Rwanda’s human rights record. Many would rather rely on rumours other than evidence-based research. So, what better source than the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) that takes place every four years. To dress it up in a more credible attire, it is carried out by the United Nations Human Rights Council, so what better source than that? Coming back to the meeting that took place in the Eastern Province, it brought together the Ministry of Justice, the UN and other key stakeholders to review the results of the last UPR that took place in 2015. According to the Minister of Justice, of the 50 recommendations the country had been given to implement, 42 had been dealt with. They are now working on the remaining ones. In order to understand Rwanda’s performance in the review, it is advisable to rewind backwards a bit. When Rwanda last subjected itself for review by the Human Rights Council in 2011, it had been given 67 recommendations. By the end of the review period in 2015, only four were still in the pipeline. Article 190 of the Constitution recognizes that international conventions ratified by Rwanda precede national laws, but that is not something one will find being reported when putting Rwanda’s laws under the microscope. Sometimes it has relied on home-based solutions such as the Gacaca Courts to deal with Genocide cases. Or it has put in place a structure of mediators (Abunzi) to deal with civil cases that do not exceed Rwf three million in value. So, when it comes to reporting on Rwanda’s human rights track record, it would be advisable to get enlightened first. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
