Transitional Justice as Genocide Prevention: From a Culture of Impunity to a Culture of Accountability

Note

The first edition of this book was published in 2014 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The second edition of this book was published in 2015.

Dr. Kaufman's book chapter is recommended as "Worth Reading" by War Crimes Prosecution Watch (Volume 9, Issue 3).

OVERVIEW

The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda was the latest — and the most widespread, systematic, destructive, and gruesome — in a series of atrocities that the country had faced over the prior half-century. In light of the culture of impunity that had developed in Rwanda throughout previous decades and that contributed to the genocide in 1994, this chapter surveys the major "transitional justice" initiatives implemented over the last nineteen years. This chapter argues that such mechanisms have played a role in preventing future genocides in Rwanda — and, to some extent, elsewhere — by fostering a culture of accountability.