Justice in Rwanda, 15 Years After Genocide

It has been 15 years since the first days of the Rwandan genocide that eventually took nearly a million lives - and the struggle to reconcile differences and build a peaceful future continues today. A new report from the U.N. Human Rights Committee this week calls on Rwandan officials to performs a balancing act: continue prosecuting the people responsible for the genocide, but consider the human rights of prisoners as well. It's not an easy task, but both sides of the scales are crucial.

In three months beginning in April 1994, more than 800,000 people were killed - most of them Tutsis and Tutsi sympathizers. During those terrible 100 days, as Michelle wrote yesterday on the Stop Genocide blog, "the history of a country, the fabric of a society, the lives of families, (were) divided into 'before' and 'after.'"

Today, 15 years later, the scars are healing, but they aren't yet healed. Some perpetrators and instigators of the violence have been prosecuted and imprisoned while others have managed to escape justice. Meanwhile, some of those convicted are dying in subhuman prison conditions. While holding responsible those who commit genocide is important, I would argue that treating prisoners with respect for human life is an even loftier goal.

Rwanda drew praise for abolishing the death penalty in 2007, but may still be conducting secret executions today, the committee said. Life sentences in solitary confinement have been handed down, and the UN group urged officials to move away from solitary confinement, saying it is not an acceptable substitute for execution. In addition, the current conditions inside Rwandan prisons are not fit for humans.

"The committee remains concerned about reports of deplorable conditions in some prisons, particularly as regards health conditions, access to health care and food," it said.

Prisoners around the world deserve a level of dignity and human compassion, and no one should be subjected to the torture of long-term solitary confinement. It may be difficult to care for prisoners involved in the most horrible mass murder in recent memory, but it is part of the healing process and it must be done.