[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 61 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2014

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 20th 
anniversary of the terrible tragedies that began on April 7, 1994, and 
endured for 100 days after, in which Hutu militias ordered the 
country's Hutu majority to exterminate the Tutsi ethnic group. 
Neighbors attacked neighbors, teachers killed students, and in mixed-
ethnicity marriages, husbands handed over wives to be killed.
  In total, 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, 
died at the hands of Hutu extremists during a 100-day period. 10,00 
victims were killed each day--7 per minute on average. To make matters 
even worse, hundreds of thousands of victims were infected with HIV as 
Hutu extremists used rape as a tool of violence. The terrible violence 
only ended when Tutsi rebel forces attacked and retook the country. 
Even now, the international tribunal created in the wake of these 
atrocities has delivered only 49 total convictions out of 95 
indictments since 1995.
  We must remember the victims of this horrific event in world history, 
honor those that survived the tragedy, and vow to never allow something 
like this to ever happen again.
  We must look to the progress that Rwanda has made 20 years later. 
Life expectancy has almost doubled and economic growth continues to 
flourish and improve every year.
  We can see hope in Rwanda now where before there was torment. To keep 
on this path of prosperity, we must dedicate ourselves to peace and 
work to actively eliminate violent extremism. This event will forever 
stand as a testament to the horror that can result when human beings 
give in to the dark side of their nature, and we must learn from this 
very tragic lesson in history so that it never happens again.

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