Comment By OHCHR-UN's Volker Türk Ahead Of The 30th Anniversary Of The 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi In Rwanda

5 April 2024

Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, I grieve the more than one million men, women and children who were killed in cold blood in barely 100 days – the vast majority of them Tutsi, and some Hutu, Twa and others who courageously opposed the genocide. The victims must never be forgotten.

I also salute the many hundreds of thousands of survivors for their bravery. Their resilient pursuit of justice, unity and reconciliation over the decades should inspire us all.

I urge States everywhere to redouble their efforts to bring all surviving suspected perpetrators to justice – including through universal jurisdiction – and to combat hate speech and incitement to commit genocide. The Rwandan genocide may have erupted on 7 April 1994, but it was rooted in years of dehumanizing hatred, incitement and discrimination.

The tragic events of 1994 in Rwanda should forever shock the conscience of humanity and be a constant reminder to States of the need to do everything in their power to prevent the crime of genocide worldwide.

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