The Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) has revealed that more than 500 foreign nationals are currently detained in different prisons across the country.
The update was provided by the commissioner general of RCS, CG Evariste Murenzi, during the launch of justice week on Monday, 8 December 2025. The activities will continue until 19 December.
He noted that most of the detained foreigners were convicted of offences such as using forged documents, assault, and causing bodily harm.
These individuals were arrested at different times, taken through judicial proceedings, and found guilty by the courts.
This year’s justice week is being held under the theme: “Mediation in legal proceedings: a pillar for effective and timely justice.”
Throughout the week, mediation—also known as plea bargaining—will take place between offenders and victims in civil, commercial, and labour-related cases.
Mediation was introduced in 2022 as a way to resolve disputes without resorting to imprisonment. Since then, about 20,000 cases filed before the courts have been settled through this approach.
