Can Memory and Truth Be Tailored by Law? Memory Law and the Right to the Truth in Rwanda

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.20.2023.86.16

Keywords:

memory laws, Rwanda, right to the truth, reconciliation, genocide

Abstract

The concept of memory laws has been gaining attention for the past few years. It is commonly defined as legal provisions governing history, including repressive measures against the denial of past crimes. Memory laws also include stateapprovedinterpretations of crucial historical events, the law establishing state holidays and commemoration of victims of past atrocities. The laws have a big part in transition and reconciliation, however, they may also lead to a distortion of historical truth. The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the coexistence between memory laws and the right to the truth in the context of human rights violations and international crimes. For that reason, firstly, the legal nature of the truth and memory under international law is evaluated. Secondly, the Rwandan legal provisions on genocide are analysed and comments are made on the elements of the Rwandan traditions concerning the past. That example serves to show the danger of the politicization of memory laws. Finally, the paper is an attempt to answer the question whether the conjunction of the right to the truth and memory laws is necessary.

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Author Biography

Małgorzata Myl-Chojnacka, University of Silesia, Poland

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration, International Public Law and European Law, University of Silesia in Katowice. Research interests include international human rights law, international humanitarian law of armed conflicts and international criminal law. Dr Myl-Chojnacka has conducted research on direct and indirect victims of human rights violations and international crimes, eg. in Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Rwanda. She is the author of the monography: “Family members as victims of serious human rights violations. A study in international human rights law and international criminal law”. For her scientific work, she has been awarded by Silesian Scientific Award and scholarship of Casimir Pulaski Foundation.

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Published

2023-12-03

How to Cite

Myl-Chojnacka, Małgorzata. 2023. “Can Memory and Truth Be Tailored by Law? Memory Law and the Right to the Truth in Rwanda”. Politeja 20 (5(86):343-59. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.20.2023.86.16.

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Zagadnienia polityczne i prawne