Transitional Justice as Genocide Prevention: From a Culture of Impunity to a Culture of Accountability

Abstract

The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda was the latest — and the most widespread, systematic, destructive, and gruesome — in a series of atrocities that the country had faced over the prior half-century. In light of the culture of impunity that had developed in Rwanda throughout previous decades and that contributed to the genocide in 1994, this chapter surveys the major “transitional justice” initiatives implemented over the last nineteen years. This chapter argues that such mechanisms have played a role in preventing future genocides in Rwanda — and, to some extent, elsewhere — by fostering a culture of accountability.

The first edition of this book was published in 2014 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the genocide. The second edition of this book was published in 2015.

Keywords: International Law, International Criminal Law, Transitional Justice, War Crimes Prosecutions, Genocide, Genocide Convention, Atrocities, Rwanda, United States, France, United Nations, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, International Criminal Court, Gacaca, Accountability, Impunity