Rwanda clears out jails
2004-03-22 23:05
Kigali - The authorities in Rwanda on Monday began to clear the country's overcrowded jails of 4 500 prisoners, more than a third of all those detained on criminal charges unrelated to the 1994 genocide, Justice Minister Edda Mukabagwiza said.
Most of those to be released under the programme are on remand but have already served time at least equal to the sentences they would receive on conviction.
Rwandan courts are cripplingly backlogged and many prisoners have yet to face trial.
In an effort to reduce overcrowding, in January 2003, President Paul Kagame called on justice authorities to provisionally free all detainees who had already been behind bars for periods at least as long as their eventual sentences would demand.
Some 22 000 prisoners, many of them charged with participating in the genocide, in which up to a million Rwandans died, were released last year.
Those released in the second phase of the programme that began on Monday "will all go directly to 'ingandos' where they will spend a month before going home," explained the minister.
Ingandos are education camps where Rwandan history and life skills are taught.