Summary
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When a country experiences a transition from an oppressive regime or period to a more democratic and peaceful situation, questions arise as to accountability for acts of injustice and violence committed during the previous period. A variety of responses have been tried in different situations, ranging from complete amnesty to criminal prosecution proceedings. Yet all too often, Stef Vandeginste asserts, such responses have focused chiefly on establishing responsibility and accountability with respect to the perpetrators. In Vandeginstexe2x80x99s view, this is the case in Rwanda as the country continues to deal with the genocidal acts of 1994. What about the position of victims in such proceedings? This question drives Vandeginstexe2x80x99s analysis in this chapter. That is, he seeks to examine the position of Rwandan victims from a specific angle xe2x80x93 namely, their right to reparation, and the legal and institutional framework that, at least theoretically, they have at their disposal to demand the enforcement of this right. To pursue this question, he looks at the notion of reparation in general, reparations in the Rwandan context, reparations at the level of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, reparations and the Rwandan justice system, funds for reparations in Rwanda, and reparations in the context of other countries.
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