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A group of people walking down a street with sign that reads “Commémoration du génocide contre les Tutsi du Rwanda. Avril-Juillet 1994. www.pagerwanda.ca”. Partially obscured.

Photo: CMHR, Keith Fraser

This release is more than two years old. For additional information, please contact Amanda Gaudes from our Media Relations team.

Montréal - December 4, 2019 –

A new film by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will be screened in Montréal on Sunday about the work of the Rwandan‐Canadian community to pursue justice against suspected war criminals identified in Canada after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

The short documentary film, created in partnership with the organization PAGE‐Rwanda, looks at the surprising discovery in Canada of Léon Mugesera and Désiré Munyaneza – accused of crimes against humanity for inciting genocide and committing atrocities. Called The Power of Community: Seeking Justice After the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the film shows the profound impact people can have when they take action together for justice and human rights.

Mugesera and Munyaneza were both recognized in Canada by Rwandan Tutsi who were aware of what these men had done. The community organized to pursue justice through the Canadian legal system, overcoming significant obstacles with their tireless activism. In 2005, the Supreme Court set legal precedent related to inciting hate and genocide when it reinstated a deportation order against Mugesera. In 2009, Munyaneza became the first and (to date) only person convicted under Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. 

The film will also become part of the core exhibits of the CMHR in Winnipeg, playing in the Breaking the Silence gallery theatre on Level 4.

WHAT: Film screening and panel discussion – The Power of Community: Seeking Justice After the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

WHEN: 2 p.m., Sunday, December 8, 2019 (Reception begins at 1 p.m.)

WHERE: Gelber Conference Centre, 2 Cummings Square, Montréal, Quebec

This event is hosted in partnership with PAGE‐Rwanda, the Montréal Holocaust Museum and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. The event will include remarks from representatives of each organization, including the Honourable Irwin Cotler, chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, who served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 to 2006.

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This release is more than two years old. For additional information, please contact Amanda Gaudes from our Media Relations team.

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