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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Rwanda: Invitation to a press conference on the launch of a report on gacaca justice system The burdens faced by the post-genocide judicial system in Rwanda have proved insurmountable. Rwanda's special genocide chambers have tried less than six percent of those detained for suspected genocide offences. There are now approximately 110,000 Rwandese in the country's detention facilities, the vast majority of them still awaiting trial. The new Gacaca tribunals draw upon a customary system of community hearings used to resolve local disputes. Gacaca represents an opportunity for genocide survivors, defendants and witnesses to present their cases in an open and participatory environment. This could be an important step towards national reconciliation and resolving Rwanda's prison crisis. In its report, Amnesty International examines the Gacaca Jurisdictions, the legislation establishing them, their organization and various phases of implementation. It also attempts to compare gacaca jurisdictions in relation to international fair trial standards and the Rwandese human rights environment in which they will operate. Further Conference Details DATE: 17 December 2002 TIME: 4:00 p.m. Kampala Time (14:00GMT) VENUE: Amnesty International Africa Regional Office Plot 20 A Kaggwa Kawalya Close (Kololo) Kampala SPEAKERS Florien Ukizemwabo, Executive Secretary, Ligue Rwandaise pour la Promotion et la D�fense des Droits de l'Homme (LIPRODHOR) Zachary Lomo, Director of Refugee Law Project, Kampala Richard Haavisto, Researcher, Amnesty International Africa Regional Office, Kampala For further information, please contact: Richard Haavisto or Stephanie Brancaforte ARO/AI Kampala Tel: 256-041-252992 or 256-041-252900 (office) 256 077 722 957 (mobile phone) Or George Ngwa Press Office, International Secretariat, London Tel: 44 20 7413 5564. The Mulindwas
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"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" |
