Abstract
In Rwanda, following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, meting out justice on suspected génocidaires has resulted in the need to reintegrate an unprecedent number of ex-prisoners, a process that continues even now, three decades later. Doing so in a society that still bears scars of this genocide, but which is also experiencing drastic social transformation, is a complex matter. Qualitative research carried out in the framework of a community-based psychosocial support program, implemented in ten, mostly rural, districts of Rwanda, aimed to study lived experiences of ex-prisoners going through the reintegration process. Twenty-seven focus group discussions and twenty-five interviews were conducted with ex-prisoners and people living close to them. The research was executed between June 2021 and June 2022. Findings revealed factors, both isolated and intersecting, hindering the reintegration process and consequently keeping ex-prisoners in liminality after imprisonment. These factors include advanced age, bodily and mental frailties, family infightings, land scarcity, and social repercussions of being a génocidaire. There are also ex-prisoners who manage to enter the post-liminal phase after being released due to psychosocial support initiatives or people's empowerment-oriented policies, laws, and programs. This article leaves room for further investigations, especially regarding the sustainability of ex-prisoners' reintegration initiatives.
Published Version
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