And still another, “You say you had no power, yet where did you get the authority to order removal of the dead. Did you not like the smell? Is this what bothered you?”
The people of the community are having their say, and the accused listens and parries and denies. When asked why he did nothing to protect victims, especially if he had a gun, he answers, “Everyone had a gun. I was no one special; I had no power.”
Our interpreter says, “He is lying.” After an hour, the consensus of the group is mixed and several members are concerned with whether this man is entitled to the presumption of innocence, especially given that he has no legal representation.
As we exit, our interpreter is told by one of the judges, “It is too bad you are leaving now, he will start to confess. He cannot hold out like this forever.”
To learn more about the Gacaca court system in Rwanda, log on to National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions.
If you would like to learn more about how to help a sister who has experienced the trauma of war, please log on to the Web site where, for as little as twenty-seven dollars a month, you can help a woman survivor of war rebuild her life.
