Sonderkommandos of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Sonderkommandos were prisoners, usually young Jewish men, selected from a transport and made to work in the crematorium. They were intimate with the act of killing. They observed the act of killing directly, closely, and over long periods of time. They were present with the condemned in their last moments when they entered the undressing room, when they lined up to go into the gas chamber, and they were with the corpses minutes after they were gassed when their bodies were removed from the chambers and were “processed”. Pulled teeth from the dead victims mouth, they searched hidden cavities for valuables, they removed rings from fingers, and clipped hair that was bundled and shipped. They burnt the corpse in open pits or in crematory ovens, they crushed the bones and disposed of the ashes. 

The Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi: 

In 1994, extremist leaders orchestrated the mass killing of more than one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu in 100 days. Neighbors turned against neighbors as militias and government forces carried out systematic, state-led extermination. It remains one of history’s fastest, most brutal genocides.

Under The Gacaca Tree: Restoretive Justice In Rwanda

Gacaca courts were Rwanda’s community-based system of restorative justice after the 1994 genocide. Citizens judged local genocide crimes, emphasizing truth-telling, accountability, and reconciliation. Millions of cases were processed, allowing survivors to learn what happened to loved ones and enabling perpetrators to confess, apologize, and reintegrate, helping rebuild trust and heal communities.