Resisting the spiral of mass violence: when perpetrators tell their story
(RCN Justice et Démocratie – Brussels, Belgium)
RCN Justice & Démocratie is a Belgian NGO created in 1994 in the aftermath of the Rwandan
genocide where we have been assisting the reconstruction of the justice system. After a few years
in Rwanda, we decided to extend our activities into Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti,
South-Sudan, Chad, Senegal, and Europe. The history of our involvement in Europe is tied to the
historical trial in Brussels of four Rwandans accused of being involved in the genocide. To preserve
the memory of this trial, we recorded the entirety of the trial’s debates and created a website to ensure
access to the larger public. In 2009, we expanded our European activities by launching a programme
to preserve and disseminate the memory of contemporary international crimes. Indeed, we believe
that the humanity that has been shattered by those crimes cannot be restrained by geographical or
time boundaries. The programme activities center on two radio series called “If It’s there, it’s here”.
The fi rst series tells the experience of people who refused to participate in crimes and, while the
second is about the experiences of perpetrators. Rather than judging, this second series focus on
understanding the mechanisms leading to participation in mass crimes. Both uncover the lives and
experiences of people who have lived through mass crimes in Bosnia, Burundi, Cambodia, DRC and
Rwanda. Their life experiences show, in a very concrete manner, how people have faced violence, either
by resisting it, or by participating in it, and how they managed to rebuild their lives. On the basis of
these testimonies, we are organizing refl ection and debate sessions in secondary schools and academic
settings. The aim of these workshops is to encourage universal questions on the meaning of justice and
reconciliation during and after a confl ict, as well as to stimulate our ability to mobilize against
international crimes and to act consciously in the present to prevent violence.
