Yves Sezirahiga
justice@iphr-ipdh.org 

Yves Sezirahiga is a founding member of IPHR and is the Head of iPeace’s Commission on Access to Justice.

Yves is a registered member of the Kigali Bar Association. In addition to being a practicing lawyer, Yves is also a teacher at the National University of Rwanda, where he educates future lawyers in the fields of Criminal Law, Comparative Law, Legal Drafting, International Human Rights, and International Criminal Law.

Yves holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the National University of Rwanda. In 2010, Yves also earned his Master’s Degree (LLM) with distinction in the field of International Law of Human Rights and Criminal Justice from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Yves believes in community service and often donates his time to assist citizens of Rwanda. In addition to his work with IPHR,Yves served as the Deputy Coordinator of the NUR Legal Aid Clinic from March 2008 to August 2009. In 2007, Yves also served as a National Commission of Human Rights Representative to the districts of Rusizi and Nyamasheke. In this role, Yves monitored gacaca court procedures and submitted routine reports to the Commission.

Whenever possible, Yves attends trainings to increase his legal knowledge. For example, in 2009, Yves attended a para-legal training led by Haguruka on the Rights of Children and Women, with a special focus on the rights of children in conflict with the Law. Furthermore, in 2008, Yves attended a training led by the Ministry of Justice on the procedure of judgment execution.

Yves is fluent in Kinyarwanda and French. Yves also holds very strong communication skills in English and a working knowledge of Kiswahili.