Greetings from Tanzania: A Postcard from Abroad

Posted Aug. 18, 2006
I work at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania as a legal intern on the Military I Team in the Office of the Prosecutor. The ICTR was established by the United Nations to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide that took place between April and June 1994.

Street outside of Arusha

We are prosecuting, among others, the mastermind of the genocide, Theoneste Bagosora, who allegedly is responsible for killing more than 800,000 Rwandans.

Evidence of the genocide

Cameras are not allowed in the courtroom and much of the trial work is confidential. The Military I Team is the most dedicated, brilliant group of people with whom I have had the honor of working. For four years they have moved forward one of the largest, most factually intensive and emotionally draining cases imaginable and they still have at least a year to go. The case is now in the defense stage, and I spend much of my time researching and submitting propositions for cross-examination of defense witnesses.

The court is in Arusha, a completely charmless city, near the middle of Tanzania. It is an incredible point of embarkation for the Serenghetti, NgoraNgora crater, Mt Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar. I live just outside the city.

Ryan Harvey