{"id":53962,"date":"2025-04-21T11:27:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T11:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/ex-ictr-prosecutor-kabasinga-sheds-light-on-the-challenges-of-pursuing-genocide\/"},"modified":"2025-04-22T09:40:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T09:40:04","slug":"ex-ictr-prosecutor-kabasinga-sheds-light-on-the-challenges-of-pursuing-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/ex-ictr-prosecutor-kabasinga-sheds-light-on-the-challenges-of-pursuing-genocide\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-ICTR prosecutor Kabasinga sheds light on the challenges of pursuing genocide suspects abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, Kabasinga shared her experiences, ranging from the daily struggles of her job to the broader issues of tracking genocide suspects and the urgent need to combat the rising tide of genocide ideology.<\/p>\n

Kabasinga noted that a major challenge in prosecuting genocide suspects lies in identifying them, as many deliberately conceal their identities. Some change their names and nationalities, claiming to be Congolese, Zimbabwean, Malawian, or Cameroonian, which complicates the process of bringing them to justice.<\/p>\n

“They change names, claim to be Congolese, Zimbabwean, Malawian, or Cameroonian. So, imagine trying to convince someone in Cameroon that their neighbour took part in the Genocide in Rwanda\u2014it\u2019s not easy,” she explained.<\/p>\n

Another major hurdle is the difficulty of international cooperation in extraditing suspects. Countries require detailed documentation before arresting and handing over individuals. This demands that prosecutors in those countries fully understand the gravity of the crimes, which is not always the case.<\/p>\n

Kabasinga highlighted legal barriers in some nations, where their laws prevent the extradition of individuals who have acquired citizenship, preferring instead to try them domestically, if at all.<\/p>\n

“Some countries question why they should spend millions of dollars prosecuting these individuals, sending them to prison for life. They see it as a financial burden and say, \u2018This isn\u2019t our problem.\u2019 That\u2019s one of the core challenges,” she added.<\/p>\n

She also pointed to a disturbing trend where some genocide perpetrators seek refuge under the guise of being political opponents of the Rwandan government. This narrative is often accepted by host countries, giving them undeserved protection.<\/p>\n

During her time at the ICTR, Kabasinga found it particularly difficult to work with foreign colleagues who lacked an in-depth understanding of Rwanda\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

“As a Rwandan, sitting in court and listening to a witness say, \u2018I was hiding in a sorghum field,\u2019 the translation into French or English sometimes didn\u2019t capture the full meaning. A judge from Norway, for example, might not even know what sorghum is or how one could hide there. It was hard for us Rwandans because I couldn\u2019t just turn around and explain everything to the court,” Kabasinga recounted.<\/p>\n

She recalled the case of Fran\u00e7ois Karera, the former prefect of Kigali, whose trial began in 2006. Prosecutors requested that the entire court visit Rwanda to better understand the history of the Genocide, which proved instrumental in delivering a sound judgment. Karera was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.<\/p>\n

{{Genocide perpetrators should not still be free}}<\/p>\n

Kabasinga stressed that, in 2025, it is unacceptable that some individuals who took part in the Genocide against the Tutsi have still not been brought to justice. She warned that this fuels a culture of impunity.<\/p>\n

“When countries refuse to prosecute these individuals, the message sent is clear: \u2018If it happens again, there will be no consequences.\u2019 That should never be acceptable.”<\/p>\n

She further noted with concern that genocide ideology is on the rise, even among the younger generation\u2014a worrying trend that could lead to history repeating itself elsewhere.<\/p>\n

She pointed out that some individuals living abroad are engaged in denial and minimisation of the Genocide against the Tutsi and are actively influencing Rwandan youth with their propaganda. Stronger measures are needed to stop this.<\/p>\n

Kabasinga called for intensive education of young people about Rwanda\u2019s history so they can recognise and reject false narratives.<\/p>\n

She also confirmed that, internationally, efforts to punish those spreading genocide ideology remain weak and inconsistent. She urged nations to take this issue seriously and adopt firm stances.<\/p>\n

Kabasinga also emphasized that trivializing genocide ideology must never be tolerated at the international level.<\/p>\n

\"Kabasinga<\/figure>\n
\"Kabasinga<\/figure>\n
\"Kabasinga<\/figure>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kabasinga Florida, a former prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), has shed light on some of the persistent challenges encountered in prosecuting individuals suspected of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. <\/p>\n

Among the challenges are the distortion of historical facts by some in court, and the difficulties foreign judges face in fully understanding the context of what happened in Rwanda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000086056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000086056,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/i00001_-_copy-ce7b1-12c62.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/i00001_-_copy-ce7b1-12c62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/i00001_-_copy-ce7b1-12c62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/i00001_-_copy-ce7b1-12c62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/i00001_-_copy-ce7b1-12c62.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/i00001_-_copy-ce7b1-12c62.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000086056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53962"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53962"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}