Bearing Witness to Genocide

Alison Des Forges directed research on the Great Lakes region of Africa for Human Rights Watch, before her untimely death in early 2009. Trained as a historian in her native US, she held a doctorate in African history and wrote about Rwandan history. She authored an extensive study on the genocide in Rwanda “Leave None to Tell the Story.” Des Forges also served as expert witness to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and assisted international investigations into the genocide.

Over the years Alison, respected internationally for her authoritative analysis, documented hundreds of gross abuses of human rights. Here she gives her insight into how the atrocities of 1994 unfolded and their lasting impact on the people of Rwanda.

Photo credit Corinne Dufka

The Human Rights Watch website is www.hrw.org

Other moving interviews can be heard at www.pbs.org

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