IBJ began to work in Rwanda in 2010 and established Rwanda Bridges to Justice (RBJ) as a local autonomous chapter in 2014. A Defender Resource Center was opened in Kigali and acts as the hub for our activities, which include building a supportive community of legal professionals, conducting training for defense lawyers and judges, providing pro bono legal representation to the most vulnerable, including women, children, and the poor, and organizing roundtables and rights awareness campaigns to galvanize support for comprehensive legal reform.

Impact in numbers

The Government of Rwanda has demonstrated its commitment to legal rights, with signed international conventions and domestic laws that safeguard the rights of the accused. However, protection of the rights of the accused and early access to competent legal counsel remains a challenge in Rwanda. A 2014 report from the United Nations Development Program states that only one lawyer is available for every 9,800 people in Rwanda. The Legal Aid Forum estimates that 80% of defendants in criminal trials do not receive representation or legal advice of any kind. Without skilled lawyers, the accused are likely to experience lengthy pre-trial detention, further taxing the country’s prison system.

  • 5,9k+ cases represented
  • 1,4k+ lawyers trained
  • 340+ justice officials trained
  • 6,5m+ people reached through rights awareness
  • 1 Defender Rights Centre (DRC)
  • 9 eLearning Modules created

Map

Systems Change

Partnerships

​​RBJ has Memorandums of Understandings with the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), the Rwanda Bar Association (RBA), the National Commission of Human Rights, the National Prosecution Public Authority (NPPA), Dignité en Détention (DiDé), Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR), Initiatives for Peace and Human Rights (Ipeace), the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD), and the Rwandan Association for the Defense of Human Rights(ARDHO). In addition to that, RBJ has created meaningful partnerships with the Ministry of Justice, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), the University of Rwanda, School of Law, RCN Justice & Democracy, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Engaging Youth in Justice 

RBJ believes that youth activism is key to sustain and advance early access to justice in Rwanda. There are six Youth Justice Charter Defenders in Rwanda. Under this initiative, youth justice champions reached out to schools and created 5 justice clubs in 5 schools in 5 provinces of Rwanda in order to curb crime by informing the students about basic punitive laws in bid to reduce youth incarceration in the country. They were also educated on due process rights, including right to counsel at the earliest possible time after arrest and right to a fair trial.

Access to Prisons

Along with the Rwandan Bar Association, lawyers from Rwanda Bridges to Justice (RBJ) are the only lawyers nationwide permitted entry into detention facilities. Since lockdown, RBJ conducts visits to detention facilities three times a week. Additionally, RBJ conducted rights awareness campaigns in 2022 within the Nyarugenge and Huye Correctional Facilities. These campaigns informed prisoners on how, where, and when to seek pro bono services. 

Multi-Sector Professional Training

RBJ has adopted a comprehensive approach to training and sensitizing all justice system stakeholders, which has proven to be the most effective. RBJ is able to do this through resources like our DefenseWiki and eLearning pages, as well as hosting roundtables and training sessions. An example of these trainings was the Consultative Forum on the Protection of Human Rights within Rwanda’s Criminal Justice System hosted by RBJ in 2018, linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcvkHv6u5qM&ab_channel=RwandaBridgestoJustice

Defender Resources

In Rwanda, IBJ provides training, tools, manuals and eLearning, developed with our partners, funded through grants, and resourced through pro-bono assistance. On April 14, RBJ lawyers went live online representing 7 cases in the new online criminal justice system that began April 9. 

Timeline:

2010: IBJ Began Work in Rwanda

IBJ began working in Rwanda and opened a Defender Resource Center in Kigali. 

2014: Rwanda Bridges to Justice 

RBJ was established as a local autonomous chapter.

2020: Training Judges

RBJ held a training workshop for judges on “Effective Promotion and Integration of Legislation for an Efficient Criminal Justice System in Rwanda.” It was attended by 42 judges from the 41 primary courts across Rwanda.

2021: RBJ Introduces a Mobile App

RBJ established a mobile app to connect impoverished detainees with IBJ lawyers. Prison officials have begun using the app on their own phones to connect inmates to IBJ lawyers.

2022: Expanding Partnerships

RBJ signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Commission for Human Rights. Together they trained bailiffs and legal professionals on effective execution of judgments.

2024: RBJ Has Access

RBJ has access to all key detention facilities in Rwanda. This allows RBJ to conduct rights awareness trainings for the prisoners.

Success Stories: 

Enhancing the Capacity of Women Defenders

Central to RBJ’s mission is strengthening the capacity of women defenders. Through its Women Lawyers Network (WLN), an active member of IBJ’s Africa Access 2 Justice Women Lawyer Network, RBJ organized its 17th mentoring session featuring Maitre Moise Nkundabarashi, Secretary of the Rwanda Bar Association Council. Additionally, RBJ hosted Afghan women’s rights leader Shabana Basij-Rasikh, offering practical insights on female leadership. In 2022, RBJ WLN convened a meeting with Deputy Commissioner of RCS Rose Muhisoni and organized an International Women’s Day conference themed “Leadership: A Tool for the Development of our Society“, graced by Madame Rose Rwabuhihi, head of the Gender Monitoring Office at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion.

Single Mother Released from Prison

In 2019, Racheal, a single mother, was detained at Nyarugenge prison for intentional battery or assault of the neighbors’ child. Rwanda Bridges to Justice became aware of the case when Racheal reached out to its office in 2022 after hearing an ad from local media for RBJ’s pro-bono services. After listening to her story, which involved pre-trial detention for 30 days without access to a lawyer, RBJ’s lawyer submitted an objection to the court based on improper qualification of the crime. A few days later, the objection raised by our lawyer was found to be with merit. The crime was re-qualified as unintentional battery or assault and Racheal was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 2 months for 1 year. 

Defending a crime committed due to a survival need

Alida, a 35-year-old widow with six children, was prosecuted for theft of milk. In Rwanda, theft is punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 2,000,000 RWF. An RBJ lawyer took on Alida’s case after Alida explained that she lacked food for her six children and was trying to save them from starving to death. The lawyer informed the prosecutor, arguing that Alida’s actions were simply a survival instinct. The RBJ lawyer pleaded for her client’s freedom, as Alida was a first-time offender who recognized her mistake and her young children were home alone without anyone to take care of them. The prosecutor released Alida provisionally and she is now at home, with her children.

What we need

There are many ways to get involved, to help make a long term difference. Please get in touch.

 

Images from IBJ’s 2024 Roundtable event, convening actors from across the justice system.