Students at the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD) have once again been reminded to use the legal knowledge they acquire to confront and fight against the denial and minimization of the Genocide against the Tutsi, which continues to manifest in various forms today.

This call to action was emphasized on May 9, 2025, during the 31^st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi held at ILPD. The event brought together the institution's leadership, staff, and students, and was graced by the presence of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja.

Mudederi Berchmas, a Genocide survivor who worked in the court at Nyabisindu before 1994, shared a moving testimony about how a culture of impunity plagued pre-Genocide Rwanda—where Tutsis were killed without consequences.

He recounted, “Tutsis were shot or stoned to death, and yet no action was taken against the perpetrators. Tell me, who today would dare disrupt security at the Village Chief’s home and expect to go unpunished? But back then, people were being killed and nothing was done.”

In his keynote address, Ambassador Vincent Karega shed light on the colonial roots of Rwanda’s ethnic divisions, explaining how Belgian colonizers introduced divisive ideologies that sowed hatred among Rwandans.

He noted that traditional Rwandan livelihoods—cattle keeping for Tutsis, farming for Hutus, and crafts for the Batwa—were complementary and had historically contributed to national development, not ethnic division.

Karega further explained how the Belgians imported their own ethnic tensions, drawing a parallel by comparing Tutsis to the Flemish and Hutus to the Walloons in Belgium.

“It was extremely shameful!” he said. “A child born to a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother would be considered Hutu and spared, but a child with a Tutsi father and a Hutu mother would be killed. Even children whose fathers were unknown—perhaps foreigners—were assigned the ethnicity of their Tutsi mothers and killed. It was scientifically baseless.”

Minister Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja underscored the importance of remembrance, particularly because nearly three-quarters of Rwanda’s population is under the age of 35. He emphasized the need to teach this generation about the painful history of Rwanda so they can pass it on to future generations.

He challenged law students to take up the responsibility of combating Genocide denial, especially when it is disguised under legal or professional pretexts. As an example, he cited the Shalom Ntahobari trial in Arusha, where the defense lawyer, Duncan Mwanyumba, disrespected a Genocide survivor by asking humiliating questions such as whether the accused undressed them, touched their private parts, or used a condom—questions that clearly undermined the witness’s dignity.

The Minister also pointed out that in countries like Belgium; survivors are often ridiculed and labeled as liars, urging young legal professionals to stand up firmly against such injustice.

The ILPD community—including its international students—reaffirmed their commitment to fighting Genocide ideology wherever it exists in the world, asserting that they have both the knowledge and the capacity to do so.