Tharcisse Karugarama
Tharcisse Karugarama is a Rwandan politician. He was the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General in the Rwandan government.
A member of the RPF, Karugarama has played a role in the prosecution of crimes associated with the Rwandan Genocide.[1]
Karugarama was one of the founding members of the RANU (Rwandese Alliance for National Unity ) 1979, it later became known as RPF. He was a teacher at Kitante Hill School before getting actively involved in the RPF politics in 1990 when Rwanda was invaded.
Karugarama was named in 2006 to the Justice portfolio, and named Attorney-General in 2007. He was a defender of the Gacaca court system which was introduced to deal with those accused as a result of the Rwanda Genocide. Karugarama noted that they did not have the resources to organise first-world courts and the only alternative to the Gacaca system might be for local communities to just take revenge.[2] Internationally, he became well known for opposing a proposed bill to criminalize homosexual acts, saying that sexual orientation is a private matter, not a state business.[3]
He was dropped from the government and replaced by Johnston Busingye on May 24, 2013.
Karugarama is currently an active member of the Justice Leadership Initiative.
References
- ↑ "Rwanda seeks ex-first lady arrest". BBC News. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- ↑ Remembering Rwanda's genocide, Catherine Wambua, 1 June 2012, Al Jazeera, Retrieved 2 March 2016
- ↑ Rwanda: Govt Cannot Criminalise Homosexuality - Minister
External links
- Interview with Tharcisse Karugarama on French report which clears Paul Kagame of involvement in the assassination of Habyarimana and Ntaryamira which sparked the start of the Rwandan Genocide - broadcast by Radio France Internationale.