Rwanda has released at least 533 people convicted of crimes during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi after they completed their prison sentences, the country’s foreign minister said Friday.
Olivier Nduhungirehe said the released prisoners "joined tens of thousands of others, who were discharged over the past 25 years."
Rwanda's National Unity and Civic Engagement Minister Jean Damascene Bizimana said the group underwent rehabilitation training before their release to prepare them for reintegration into society.
He warned those released against promoting genocide ideology, fueling ethnic divisions or committing other offenses that could lead to their return to prison.
Over 100,000 convicted over 1994 genocide
More than 100,000 people were convicted of crimes committed during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Over 1 million people, mainly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were killed during the massacres, which lasted approximately 100 days.
The Rwandan government used traditional Gacaca courts to prosecute crimes committed during the genocide.
Established in 2002, approximately 12,000 grassroots tribunals operated across the country, adjudicating roughly 1.9 million cases.
The genocide followed the downing of a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira on April 6, 1994.
The aircraft was struck by a rocket, killing everyone on board.
The incident triggered mass killings carried out by Hutu extremists.
