January 2008: As of December 2007, 35 cases had been completed, while the trials concerning 23 were on-going. 2 cases have been transferred to France, and 30 case files have been transferred to the Rwandan national courts. 6 accused persons are in Arusha, awaiting trial, and 14 indictees remain at large. Among the detainees whose trials are in progress is Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, former Minister for Family and Women's Affairs, who is the first woman to be subject of international jurisdiction for genocide. The first trial at the ICTR started in January 1997, following the arrival of the first accused to Arusha in May 1996. In December 2007, former Prefect of Kigali-Rural, François Karera, was sentenced to life-imprisonment for genocide and crimes against humanity. A completion strategy submitted in May 2007 predicts the completion of trials on schedule, by the end of 2008, by which time judgments on between 65 and 70 persons will have been given. However, it notes that the workload of the Appeals Chamber will still be heavy. Security Council Resolution 1503 (2003) states that all work of the ICTR must be completed by 2010. Genocide trials are also taking place within the Rwanda national court system as well as in other countries. Approximately 2,500 trials have taken place in the national court system. [Rwanda govt]. Since an initiative begun in 2005, approximately 900 perpetrators have been sentenced to community service, a punishment that has been denounced as "insignificant" and "humiliating" by genocide survivors, one of whom claimed that "their punishment should be similar to the pain they themselves inflicted." However, the scheme has been supported by government minister for justice, Edda Mukabagwiza, claiming that the programme will give perpetrators the skills they need for successful reintegration in the community. [global policy forum]. | 
