Background & Causes (Genocide)
Which two main ethnic groups were involved in the Rwandan genocide?
Hutu and Tutsi
Who was the first person ever convicted of genocide by an international court?
Jean-Paul Akayesu
What type of group/level of criminals did the ICTR focus on prosecuting?
High-level planners
This community-based court system was revived in 2005 to handle hundreds of thousands of lower-level genocide perpetrators.
Gacaca Courts
Which institution took over ICTR’s remaining functions after it closed?
MICT (Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals)
Which colonial power deepened ethnic divisions by favoring Tutsis?
Belgium
What crime did Akayesu’s case first recognize as a tool of genocide?
Rape/sexual violence
What year was the ICTR established?
1994
In terms of severity, what types of crimes did Rwanda’s national courts focus on after the genocide?
Serious Crimes
Name one of the three main organs of the ICTR.
-The Chambers
-Office of the Prosecutor
-The Registry
How were Tutsis identified at roadblocks during the genocide?
Ethnic ID Cards
Which Prime Minister pleaded guilty to genocide and received life imprisonment?
Jean Kambanda
What UN body created the ICTR?
UN Security Council
Rwanda abolished this form of punishment in 2007, which allowed more genocide cases to be transferred from the ICTR to national courts.
Death Penalty
What type of judge was temporarily appointed to speed up trials?
Ad-litem judges
What event on April 6, 1994 directly triggered the genocide?
Shooting of the presidents plane
What groundbreaking legal principle came from prosecuting RTLM leaders?
Media incitement can constitute genocide and crimes against humanity.
Where was the ICTR headquartered?
Arusha, Tanzania
By mid-2006, Rwanda’s national courts had tried approximately what # of genocide suspects?
What is 10,000
Under which UN Security Council resolution was the ICTR established?
Resolution 955
What armed group, made mostly of Tutsi exiles, invaded Rwanda in 1990 and sparked the civil war?
The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)
Why was the Akayesu judgment considered groundbreaking in international criminal law? (Name two reasons.)
First-ever conviction for genocide
First time an international court ruled that rape can constitute genocide
What was the ICTR’s time-limited jurisdiction?
January 1st and December 31st, 1994.
The Gacaca courts handled cases across what # of courts?
1,200 courts
What strategy helped wind down ICTR operations by focusing on top perpetrators only?
Completion Strategy