Muhanga Correctional Facility in Rwanda houses a staggering 737 “génocidaires” – inmates convicted of crimes during the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi. Of these, 728 have been sentenced, with 71 receiving life imprisonment sentences.

The numbers across Rwanda’s prisons are even more striking. As of February 2024, out of 87,621 total inmates, 18,810 (21.4%) are imprisoned for genocide crimes, including 6.3% women. Of the génocidaires, 4,339 (23.06%), with 1.7% women, have life sentences. This leaves 14,471 eligible for release after serving their terms.

Remarkably, the Rwanda Correctional Service estimates that around 2,200 of these genocide convicts will be released across the country in 2024 alone. This continues a trend of releases – in 2012 there were 39,572 people convicted or awaiting trial for genocide crimes.

The génocidaires come from all walks of life – prefects, mayors, military, teachers, clergy, journalists and the poor. Only one member of the interim government during the genocide, Agnès Ntamabyariro, has been convicted in Rwanda, receiving life imprisonment in 2009. Another 15 ministers were tried by the International Criminal Tribunal.

At Muhanga, out of 7,346 total inmates, the 737 génocidaires live alongside ordinary prisoners with no discrimination. One inmate, 67-year-old Emmanuel Ruzigana, a former mayor who gave genocidal orders, calls his 30-year sentence “light compared to the crime of genocide.” After decades, he believes most génocidaires have been humbled by the consequences of their horrific actions. Ends

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By Emmanuel Sehene Ruvugiro, JusticeInfo.net Special Envoy to Muhanga Correctional Facility, Rwanda (Originally published in long form on Justiceinfo.net on April 02/2024).