Senate to Discuss Revised Penal Code

The senate on Monday began discussions on the amendments to be made on the penal code of Rwanda after the chamber of deputies approved it.

The penal code touches on a lot but there has been contention on the law regarding genocide ideology with some calling it a political scheme of countering the opposition but Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama said that the crime still retains its criminal nature.

Members of the senate recommended that it should be a law on its own. Consultations that have taken place with a range of experts and researchers in the field of law have proposed that articles associated with genocide ideology that may be political in nature, should not be part of the code.

The penal code also touches on defamation where media practitioners have been calling for this offense to be civil and not criminal as it is now.

Members of the senate have called for a reduction in the time span that an offender should serve after committing this offense. They’ve also recommended that the fines charged for these crimes to be increased. More discussions on the penal code will continue on Tuesday.