Rwanda has renewed its enchantment to the United Nations Safety Council, calling for the archives of the now defunct Worldwide Prison Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to be relocated to Kigali. It argues that the data of the 1994 Genocide in opposition to the Tutsi in Rwanda needs to be preserved within the nation the place that historical past unfolded.
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Justice Minister Emmanuel Ugirashebuja made the case throughout the UN Safety Council Open Debate on the Worldwide Residual Mechanism for Prison Tribunals in New York, on June 12, stressing that the problem goes past logistics and touches on justice, reminiscence, and historic possession.
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“Madam President, the query earlier than this Council is one in all precept: the place ought to the historic file of the Genocide in opposition to the Tutsi be preserved in order that it stays most significant, accessible, and related to these whose historical past it paperwork?” he mentioned.
Ugirashebuja counseled the management of the Residual Mechanism, together with President Graciela Gatti Santana and Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, for presenting the Sixth Overview Report, noting the progress made in finishing the tribunal’s mandate.
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He mentioned Rwanda values the legacy of worldwide justice establishments and has labored intently with each the ICTR and its successor mechanism over the previous three a long time. That partnership, he mentioned, has advanced alongside Rwanda’s personal institutional growth.
“Right this moment, Rwanda shouldn’t be merely a beneficiary of worldwide justice efforts. It’s a companion in preserving their legacy and making certain their continued relevance,” the minister mentioned.
Ugirashebuja additional reiterated that the ICTR archives, not like these of different worldwide tribunals, are uniquely tied to 1 nation and one historic tragedy.
“These archives concern one nation, one folks, and one genocide. They’re inseparable from Rwanda’s historical past,” he mentioned. “Logic, precept, and historic actuality subsequently level in the identical path: these archives needs to be positioned the place their significance is biggest.”
He acknowledged that the archives stay legally owned by the United Nations however argued that possession shouldn’t be the only real issue guiding their future location. As an alternative, he mentioned, historic relevance, accessibility, and proximity to affected communities should additionally information the choice.
Rwanda, he mentioned, has already met all necessities essential to host the archives, together with infrastructure for preservation, digitization capability, authorized safeguards, and skilled personnel. The nation can be prepared to totally finance the switch and long-term administration of the archives.
“Rwanda is ready to imagine the prices related to the switch, preservation, and digitization of the archives,” he mentioned, including that this might remove the necessity for added monetary contributions from UN member states.
He confused that relocating the archives wouldn’t solely protect historical past but additionally restore emotional and symbolic that means for survivors of the genocide.
“For the survivors of the Genocide in opposition to the Tutsi, the switch of the ICTR archives wouldn’t merely characterize the relocation of data. It might characterize the return of an important a part of their historical past,” he mentioned.
Past the query of archives, the minister additionally addressed Rwanda’s broader position within the remaining work of the ICTR and its successor mechanism. He highlighted the continued significance of worldwide cooperation in monitoring genocide fugitives, noting that greater than 1,000 stay at massive globally.
He underscored the nation’s readiness to host a small residual workplace to assist cooperation with nationwide jurisdictions, strengthen fugitive monitoring, and guarantee continuity in accountability efforts, and likewise indicated willingness to cowl related operational prices.
Ugirashebuja reiterated Rwanda’s provide to obtain people convicted by the ICTR for sentence enforcement, in addition to Rwandans who had been acquitted or have accomplished their sentences however stay with out sturdy options.
He mentioned Rwanda’s correctional system meets worldwide requirements, offering sufficient healthcare, rehabilitation programmes, and unbiased monitoring. Over the previous a long time, he added, Rwanda has gained intensive expertise in receiving and reintegrating former genocide convicts, contributing to reconciliation and social cohesion.
“We subsequently encourage the Council to provide beneficial consideration to Rwanda’s longstanding provide, which aligns with the Completion Technique and the precept of nationwide possession,” he mentioned.
The minister concluded by emphasising that the Residual Mechanism was by no means supposed to be everlasting, and that the time had come for the Safety Council to take decisive steps on its remaining duties, together with the way forward for the ICTR archives.
He mentioned the choice needs to be guided not solely by administrative concerns but additionally by justice, reminiscence, and the voices of survivors whose historical past is preserved in these data.
Greater than 30 years after the Genocide in opposition to the Tutsi, Rwanda has the capability, the expertise, and the dedication to protect this legacy, he mentioned.
Rwanda, he added, will proceed participating constructively with the Safety Council, the Mechanism, and the UN Secretariat on a sustainable path ahead for the tribunal’s remaining capabilities.
