Language and International Criminal Justice in Africa: Interpretation at the ICTR

Abstract

In this article, I examine the naturalized politics of language in international criminal justice in Africa, based on research conducted during three visits to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) between 2005 and 2008. Though existing research has demonstrated the role of interpretation as meaningful, not technical, in domestic bilingual courts and other non-African international criminal tribunals, it remains underexamined in courts affecting Africa. I argue that ideas that the law and court actors had about language and about Rwandans’ language practices are important sites for understanding the constitution of justice and injustice. I use case proceedings to demonstrate how legal and linguistic interpretations are deeply imbricated at the ICTR, and show how problems of translation emerged for the parties themselves. More analysis is needed of interpretation within contemporary international criminal tribunals related to Africa to more fully examine complex dynamics of international legal regimes and justice affecting Africa.