“I welcome the conviction today of Theoneste Bagosora, the lead organizer of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).  Accountability for the horrific massacres that killed over 800,000 people is an essential step to promote healing for the survivors and to prevent future conflict in Rwanda.  Even more, I hope this conviction sends a signal to those who commit gross human rights abuses around the world that there can be consequences to their actions. Confronting the culture of impunity has an essential role to play in bringing lasting peace in Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.  I urge the ICTR with the support of the international community to continue its work to bring to justice all those individuals, including members of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, who were responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in those horrific months in 1994.”

Feingold is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.