RWANDA. -After 10 years of trying those involved in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the community courts - Gacaca, will be shutting down. The Gacaca court system is a part of a grass-root community Justice model that was set up in 2001 to bring to justice those accused in the Rwanda killings.
The Gacaca was set up to supplement the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (UNICTR) which was suffering from serious backlog. According to BBC News, approximately two million people were being tried.
The Gacaca cases were held once a week in a public place such as a market. Over 160,000 judges were elected from various communities.
The Gacaca provided a form of justice that the natives were familiar with and as BBC News reports, "The hearings gave communities a chance to face the accused and give evidence about what really happened and how it happened... many people in Rwanda say this process have helped to mend the wounds of the past."
However, the Gacaca has produced its share of difficulties. Since the Gacaca format was originally designed to settle local disputes, the elected judges lacked serious legal qualifications, the local community courts failed in compensating victims and also failed to give the appropriate punishment. Some reports suggest that while many convicted were sent to local jails, many others were merely sent to rebuild communities. According to reports, of the 2 million tried, only 65 percent have been found guilty.
The UN ITCR has also disappointed. The international tribunal was set up in 1994 to bring to justice those involved in violating human rights law and war crimes. It has so far convicted 38 people and acquitted eight. The ITCR is scheduled to close later this year as well
