Beyond Justice: Documentary & discussion on use of media in reconciliation process in Rwanda

Beyond Justice”

Synopsis of the ICTR “Media Case” Documentary

The Rwandan media were used to spread the ideology of genocide, to encourage and incite the general population to join in the government’s orchestrated killing campaign in 1994 and to identify individuals targeted to be killed. As a result, the pre-genocide communication environment in Rwanda was characterized as an era of “hate media.” Most notorious among the Rwandan “hate media” were Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and the Kangura newspaper.

This documentary analyzes the “Media Case” in which the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UNICTR) convicted the owners and journalists from RTLM and Kangura in December 2003 for using the media to commit the crime of genocide by inciting the Rwandan general population to murder.

The documentary presents highlights of the courtroom trial sessions at the ICTR and explores the role of the Rwandan media, especially radio, in spreading genocide ideology and the propaganda of ethnic hatred to incite the population. It presents a brief history of the development of mass media in Rwanda, surveys the present media environment and examines the potential of the media to re-educate the population and to promote societal reconciliation and peace in the country.

The theme of going beyond justice is developed through interviews with genocide convicts, family members of genocide convicts, genocide survivors, political and judicial leaders in Rwanda as well as the ICTR Prosecutor and legal staff who prosecuted the “Media Case” convicts. By showing that the convicts in the “Media Case” were brought to justice for their misuse of the media, this documentary provides a legal and social context that may help to refute the propaganda messages of Rwandan hate media and to counter the ideology that led to the 1994 genocide. 

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