Not to Forgive, but to Understand

Thierry Cruvellier: Justice, Memory, and the Limits of the Rwandan Tribunal (ICTR)

• Sabah Carrim and Luis Gonzalez-Aponte

Join us for a powerful conversation with Thierry Cruvellier, Editor-in-Chief of JusticeInfo.net and author of Court of Remorse and The Master of Confessions, as he reflects on his decades-long journey reporting on international tribunals and transitional justice. In this episode, we delve into the politics behind the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the ethical challenges of documenting mass atrocities, and what justice means in the aftermath of genocide. 

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Chapter Timestamps:


00:00:00 Introduction


00:01:51 What Drew You to the Khmer Rouge and Rwanda Trials?


00:08:16 On Arendt’s Absences: Navigating Bias in Trial Reporting


00:12:21 Génocidaire, Real Justice, and the Reckoning with Sexual Violence in the ICTR


00:18:25 Reflections with Hindsight: The Complexities of the Rwandan Genocide


00:23:43 What was the most difficult part of collecting material for your books?


00:28:23 Examples of the imperfections and mediocrity of the trial system


00:31:31 How do the shortcomings of the ICTR compare with those of the gacaca trials?


00:39:20 What important local factors were overlooked by the international tribunal?


00:45:00 Where does Rwanda stand today on reconciliation, and why did this matter to you during your research?


01:00:16 The 1991 Rwandan military report and what it reveals about the planning of the genocide


01:07:03 What reflections or advice would you offer that haven’t appeared in your books?