Human Rights Enforcement through Domestic Courts: A Critical Analysis of International Law Implications on Rwandan Genocide

It becomes evident that international law has moulded the functioning of the Rwandan domestic courts. Rwanda opted to pass legislation that allowed international crimes to be prosecuted. This signalled the intention of the Rwandan state to hold responsible and accountable those involved in the human rights that were grossly violated during the genocide. The author seeks to establish the role that domestic courts play in international proceedings through a case study on the Rwandan genocide. The question this research paper aims to answer is whether: domestic courts effectively deal with international crimes. In order to answer this question, the author first looks into the general role of international courts and brings in the complementarity principle. The next section of the paper introduces the genesis of the Rwandan genocide and its implications. The final aspect that the author explores is with respect to if the domestic courts of Rwanda could deal with the international crimes.