In ‘The Uncondemned,’ Rwandan Rape Survivors Seek Justice

Words like justice and dignity aren’t used lightly in “The Uncondemned.” And while this sober documentary about rape during wartime treats those words and its subject with the required gravity, there are also moments of inspiration.

The details of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 are well known, particularly the killings of more than 800,000 people. Less discussed were the countless rapes that occurred. Sexual assaults were often seen as secondary to the murders, and there was little urgency from authorities to investigate them.

In 1997, a legal team from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda sought to hold rapists accountable, and with that set a precedent — while rape has been listed as an international war crime since 1919, it had never been prosecuted as such.

The group faced an uphill battle in doing so. Witnesses had been intimidated and killed; victims were sometimes hindered by shame; and resources were ridiculously low. In this film, directed by Michele Mitchell and Nick Louvel, the lawyers recall an emergency meeting once held to discuss how to ration their last ream of paper.

The efforts at putting Jean-Paul Akayesu, a Rwandan mayor, on trial for his role in encouraging and ordering rapes are recounted here with clarity by the lawyers and others. Yet most extraordinary are interviews with the women who came forward to provide evidence in court. Their integrity and tenacity, and their loyalty to one another, are enough to bring you to tears.

The eventual conviction of Mr. Akayesu (he was sentenced to life in prison) was a hard-earned victory in the aftermath of genocide. Despite their ordeals, these rape survivors and their supporters secured a measure of justice for themselves, as well as for humanity.