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Country Report on Human Rights and Justice in Rwanda

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Country Report on Human Rights and Justice in Rwanda Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Country Report on Human Rights and Justice in Rwanda Date 18 August 2016 Page 1 of 64 Country Report | August 2016 Edited by Sub-Saharan Africa Department, The Hague Disclaimer: The Dutch version of this report is leading. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands cannot be held accountable for misinterpretations based on the English version of the report. Page 2 of 64 Country Report on Rwanda | August 2016 Contents Contents ....................................................................................................... 3 1 Human Rights .............................................................................................. 6 1.1 Human Rights in General ................................................................................ 6 1.2 Torture and Abuse ....................................................................................... 11 1.2.1 Legislation .................................................................................................. 11 1.2.2 Torture by Military Personnel ......................................................................... 11 1.2.3 Police Abuse ................................................................................................ 13 1.2.4 Local Defence Forces .................................................................................... 13 1.2.5 Monitoring and Assistance ............................................................................. 14 1.3 Disappearances ........................................................................................... 15 1.4 Extrajudicial Executions and Murders .............................................................. 17 1.5 Political Parties ............................................................................................ 19 1.6 Opposition Abroad ........................................................................................ 22 2 Judicial Process ......................................................................................... 25 2.1 General Developments .................................................................................. 25 2.1.1 Presumption of Innocence ............................................................................. 25 2.2 Judicial Developments .................................................................................. 26 2.2.1 Improvements in the Legal System ................................................................ 26 2.2.2 Military Courts ............................................................................................. 29 2.3 Post-genocide Justice ................................................................................... 29 2.3.1 Gacaca Courts ............................................................................................. 29 2.3.2 Penalties for Genocide Crimes ........................................................................ 30 2.3.3 Rwanda Tribunal .......................................................................................... 32 2.3.4 Prosecution Outside Rwanda .......................................................................... 35 2.3.5 Expulsion and Extradition .............................................................................. 36 2.3.6 Prosecution of International Cases in Rwanda .................................................. 38 2.4 Gacaca Archive ............................................................................................ 41 2.5 Rwandan Returnees ..................................................................................... 42 2.6 Political Influence on the Course of Justice ....................................................... 44 2.7 Legal Assistance .......................................................................................... 44 2.8 Treatment of Genocide Suspects .................................................................... 45 2.9 Released Genocide Perpetrators ..................................................................... 46 2.10 Divisionism ................................................................................................. 47 2.11 Genocide Ideology Legislation ........................................................................ 49 3 Detention .................................................................................................. 53 3.1 General Situation ......................................................................................... 53 3.2 Detention Conditions .................................................................................... 55 3.2.1 Prisons ....................................................................................................... 55 3.2.2 Transit and Rehabilitation Centres .................................................................. 57 3.2.3 Police and Military Detention Centres .............................................................. 58 3.3 Detention of Genocide Perpetrators ................................................................ 59 3.4 Monitoring and Assistance ............................................................................. 59 3.5 Medical Facilities .......................................................................................... 60 4 Bibliography .............................................................................................. 62 4.1 Abbreviations .............................................................................................. 63 Page 3 of 64 Country Report on Rwanda | August 2016 Introduction Within the space about 100 days, an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically killed by Hutu extremists during the genocide in Rwanda, which began on the night of 6 April 1994. The Country report on the developments regarding the prosecution, trial and detention of genocide suspects in and outside Rwanda of 28 November 2011 focused on the compliance with and possible violation of a number of classic human rights and the position of (alleged) government opponents in and outside Rwanda.1 This report described the course of justice in Rwanda, particularly the administration of criminal justice, and also elaborated on the developments at the Rwanda Tribunal. The above-mentioned report looked in depth at the genesis, course and consequences of the Gacaca proceedings. It also addressed the possibilities of tracking down genocide suspects not yet tried (or tried in absentia) in and outside Rwanda, in order to try and detain them in Rwanda. The present country report – which covers the period from December 2011 to July 2016 – elaborates on the relevant developments following the situation in Rwanda as described in the previous country report. This country report is based on information from public and confidential sources, including government agencies and NGOs, professional literature and media reports. For an overview of the public sources consulted, please refer to the bibliography. This report also draws on findings and confidential reports from the Dutch missions in the region. Chapter one describes the human rights developments and the position of (alleged) government opponents in and outside Rwanda. Chapter two elaborates on the developments in judicial procedure, and chapter three focuses on detention conditions. 1 Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thematisch ambtsbericht over de ontwikkelingen ten aanzien van de vervolging, berechting en detentie van genocideplegers in en buiten Rwanda, 28 November 2011. Page 5 of 64 1 Human Rights 1.1 Human Rights in General In general, there is a slight improvement in the human rights situation compared with 2011.2 According to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), Rwanda is one of the six countries in Africa that have achieved progress in security and the rule of law, civic participation and human rights over the period from 2011 to 2014.3 The Gallup Global Law and Order 2015 Report ranks Rwanda among the safest countries in the world.4 In addition – partly as a result of efficient government policy – the country’s agricultural production nearly doubled between 2000 and 2012.5 Furthermore, its population benefited from major improvements in healthcare.6 Unlike in 2014, there were no reports of serious human rights violations in 2015.7 The main human rights problems reported by international NGOs during the reporting period were harassment, arrest and abuse of journalists, political opponents and human rights advocates.8 UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai reported in January 2014 that ‘peaceful protests voicing dissent and criticising government policies are not allowed’.9 The government justifies the limitation of the right to freedom of expression on the grounds of the fight against terrorism, the denial of genocide and other considerations of state security.10 In the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) had still not surrendered at the end of the reporting period.11 The FDLR, a violent armed group supported by militant Hutus in the diaspora, is considered an ideological and political threat by the Rwandan government. The external threat posed by the FDLR is also seen as a threat to security, and is used as a pretext to assert control over security and political life in Rwanda.12 See also section 1.5. The civil war, the genocide and their aftermath still divide Rwandan society. The return of refugees and the genocide led to many disputes over property. Rwandan society
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