[8] Originally, tribunals that took place between late 1996 and early 1998 sentenced over 130 people to death for their involvement in perpetrating the Rwandan genocide.
At least five men were reportedly condemned to die for the 26 November 2003 murders of at least two Rwandan genocide survivors who were set to testify in the Gacaca courts, including Charles Rutinduka and Emile Ntahimana.
[13][14] Between the final executions in 1998 and the abolition of capital punishment in July 2007, Rwandan courts handed down 1,365 death sentences.
[12] Rwanda's decision to abolish the death penalty invited praise from human rights organizations.
Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called Rwanda's death penalty abolition "a powerful endorsement of the importance of pursuing justice while repudiating violence in all its forms.
With the promulgation of the law banning the death penalty, Rwanda simultaneously takes an important step forward in ensuring respect for the right to life and makes further progress in bringing to justice those responsible for the heinous crimes of the 1994 genocide.
During the award ceremony, Kagame announced his support for a universal moratorium of capital punishment in all countries, stating, "Rwanda will be happy to work together with other African countries, and to join the European Union in co-sponsoring the resolution at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, in support of this important initiative.