The tribunals have been going on since 1994, and are supposed to be wrapping up in the next year or two. The courtroom is open to the public, so a couple of days ago we went to one of the hearings. It was intense! I have never been in a courtroom, so it was kinda cool just to see the whole set up (which looked just like in the movies). The lawyers, judges, and witness all speak different languages, so we had to listen in with headphones that were tuned to the channel for the language that we wanted (which really impressed upon me that this was REAL U.N. stuff!). The witness was testifying about seeing 200 Hutus gunned down in a market, which was sort of overwhelming to hear him talk about. The day we were there was also a big day for the tribunals - they had just arrested the "Butcher of Butare," supposedly THE head guy behind the whole Rwanda genocide. I guess they've been looking for him for 15 years. It's kinda creepy, because they keep all these prisoners here in Arusha, in a U.N. prison right next to the airport. Seeing the convoys drive by gives me the creeps, because I know there are some bad men in those jeeps.
Unfortunately, since cameras were strictly forbidden, I have zero pics to go with this post! Just wanted to share the experience...I'll leave you with a pic of cute Tanzanian kids, because that never gets old. Below, Muslim children on their way to the mosque for Eid, the celebration at the end of the month of Ramadan:
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