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Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words? When It Comes To Punishing Genocide, Both Matter.
October 23, 2009
On this day nine years ago, the Rwanda "Media Trial" opened at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Three Rwandan journalists stood before the judges, accused of using the media to spread hate speech and directly incite violence during the 1994 genocide. The trial raised important questions about the nature of speech and genocide: Did media directly influence the killing? What speech is protected under the freedom of the press? How can the intent behind words be determined? In a landmark decision, ICTR judges ultimately convicted all three men of direct and public incitement to genocide, one of several punishable acts outlined in the Genocide Convention. Handing down the verdict, the ICTR judges declared to the men, "Without a firearm, machete, or any physical weapon, you caused the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians."
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Top Rwanda Genocide Suspect Arrested
October 6, 2009
One of the most wanted suspects in the 1994 genocide was arrested in Uganda this week and extradited to Tanzania to face trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The head of intelligence and military operations at Rwanda's elite military training school during the genocide, Idelphonse Nizeyimana was indicted by the ICTR in 2000 and charged with crimes against humanity, as well as complicity in genocide and direct and public incitement to commit genocide. The indictment charged that:
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Note from the Director of the Committee on Conscience
August 3, 2009
In July 2004, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum declared a “genocide emergency” in Darfur, Sudan. This week, after extensive research and an assessment of conditions on the ground, the Museum is changing its categorization of conditions in Sudan to a “genocide warning” for the entire country.
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Stephen Rapp Nominated as Ambassador at Large for War Crimes
July 9, 2009
This week, President Obama nominated Stephen Rapp to become ambassador at large for war crimes issues. As a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Rapp led a landmark case against three Rwandan journalists charged with and found guilty of genocide, direct and public incitement to genocide, and other crimes. In 2006, Rapp left the ICTR to become the prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. His nomination as ambassador awaits confirmation by the Senate.
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My Neighbor My Killer: A Discussion with Filmmaker Anne Aghion
June 8, 2009
In May, award-winning filmmaker Anne Aghion discussed her documentaries about Rwanda with Bridget Conley-Zilkic in an episode of the Museum's Voices on Genocide Prevention podcast series. Aghion described the three short films and one feature-length film she has produced and directed on the community-based justice process in Rwanda called gacaca. Her films present an intimate view of how Rwandans are living together after the genocide.
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The Power of Words to Kill
June 4, 2009
Gregory Gordon helped to prosecute the landmark "media" cases in Rwanda -- where hate speech, broadcast over the radio, was directly linked to the genocide of the Tutsi people. Gordon believes that the lesson learned in Rwanda could be applied to Iran and elsewhere, to prevent these incitement tactics from taking hold.
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ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Sudanese President Bashir
March 4, 2009
On March 4, 2009, a Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced its historic decision to issue an arrest warrant charging Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes for his leadership role in orchestrating the conflict in Darfur.
