Arusha and ICTR

Last Wednesday, we took a half day trip to Arusha, a bigger city about an hour and half drive from Moshi. We went to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This is where the INternational Criminal Court, the judicial branch of the UN, is trying those associated with the Rwandan genocide. This has been established since 2001. The building is a large conference center (relative to Tanzania) and the trials take place in these tiny rooms. There are viewing areas for visitors to watch the proceedings. The particular trial we watched for a couple of hours has been going on since 2003. It was the trial of two members of the military. I am still not quite sure the details of the individual case but it was really interesting to watch the courtroom. It was just a beefed up version of a regular courtroom, with a few more counsel and judges and people from all over the world. The trials are complicated and drawn out and it is difficult to tell if justice is actually being served. While it is good, I think, that the courts exist there are still many questions of efficacy. Basically it seems that the whole point of the court is to deter further acts of genocide, rather than to punish the individuals on trial. There have only been 12 people tried and there are about 80 left to go on trail. It was really interesting watching an international body at work and see in real life what I had read about back at UPS. Arusha was a hopping town, a bit more modern and larger than Moshi but with the same general feel.