IBUKA condemns the immediate release of Justin Mugenzi and Prosper Mugiraneza. The two former ministers of the Government of Rwanda at the time of the genocide in April 1994, had been previously convicted of conspiracy to commit genocide and direct and public incitement to commit genocide. They were today acquitted by the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

The President of IBUKA, Professor Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu commented on the news: “This acquittal is another nail in the coffin of the victims of the genocide, and a smack in the face for survivors of the genocide too. The ICTR has delivered nothing for either the victims or the survivors of the genocide, delivering no compensation for the horrific atrocities committed during the genocide planned and perpetrated by the Government of which Mugenzi and Mugiraneza were indisputably members – even though the ICTR denies that they were actively involved.”

IBUKA is leading an advocacy campaign with Survivors Fund (SURF) and REDRESS for the United Nations to address the issue of restorative justice for survivors of the genocide which has been denied to them by the ICTR. Since its establishment in 1994, it has appropriated nearly $2 billion of UN funds, to complete just 72 cases. Over that period it has delivered no compensation or assistance for survivors of the genocide.