On November 30 in Kigali, in the house of the Community of Sant'Egidio, the lecture "No justice without life" was held.

The lecture, in connection with the worldwide initiative "Cities for Life" promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio, was aimed at making people aware of the importance of the abolition of the capital punishment.

Rwanda in fact abolished the capital punishment in 2007, but still a lot of work is needed in order to make all of the society's layers aware of the importance of this step. Many are still hostage of a vindictive attitude, above all with respect to the crimes of the genocide of 1994.

Among the lecturers the general manager of the Ministry of Justice, Jean Baptiste Bandora, magistrate and first juvenile judge of the Rwanda; M. me Euthalie Nyrabega, Member of the Parliament; Fr. Antoine Kambanda, rector of the Seminary of Rwanda, Bernard Musana, representative of the Community of Sant'Egidio.

Among the guests several friends of the Community, among which the Papal Nuncio, H. E. Mons. Scapolo, the Superior Provincial of the White Fathers, and the Rector of the Pedagogical University of Kigali (KIE, Kigali Institute of Education).  

The interventions have highlighted the importance of continuing to "abolish" a mentality favourable to the capital punishment which expresses itself in the way some people have of being refractory to dialogue and reconciliation. Several participants expressed gratitude to the Community of Sant'Egidio for being a place open to dialogue and for its efforts to let a true sensitivity for peace and for human rights grow.