id: gacaca-court
title: Rwandan Gacaca Community Justice
description: >-
  A Rwandan practice of community-based justice assemblies that address
  conflict and, in the post-genocide period, were adapted to try cases of
  genocide-related crimes. Rooted in traditional Rwandan gacaca (literally
  "on the grass") gatherings where elders resolved disputes.
source: Rwandan traditional justice / National Service of Gacaca Courts
source_url: https://www.gov.r/
tags: [rwandan, gacaca, justice, reconciliation, africa]
forked_from: null
image: null
steps:
  - headline: Convene on the grass
    description: >-
      The community gathers outdoors, in the presence of inyangamugayo
      (persons of integrity) who serve as judges. The gathering is public
      and community-wide.
  - headline: Hear the case
    description: >-
      The accused and those harmed are both heard, with witnesses and
      community members free to speak to what they know and saw.
  - headline: Establish truth
    description: >-
      The inyangamugayo and community together establish what happened,
      drawing on collective memory and witness, aiming for a shared
      account that the community can accept.
  - headline: Determine reparation
    description: >-
      The assembly determines reparation — confession, apology,
      restitution, or community service — oriented toward reconciliation
      and reintegration.
  - headline: Pronounce and reintegrate
    description: >-
      The decision is pronounced in the presence of the community. The goal
      is reintegration of the offender into community, not isolation.
outcome: >-
  Cases are heard and resolved within the community, with truth
  established collectively and reparation oriented toward reconciliation.
practice: >-
  Gacaca is demanding — it asks the community to face its own. It is not a
  substitute for formal justice where crimes are severe, but a complement
  rooted in communal accountability.