According to a press release issued by the United Nations on Tuesday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights made positive comments about Rwanda's decision to the 6th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. She also pointed out that the fellow African nation of Gabon had recently done the same, and the "vast majority" of U.N. members no longer have capital punishment. She was quoted as saying that countries which continue to apply the death penalty should adhere to "restrictive international standards," and spoke about the human rights issues of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Sudan as well.

The CIA World Factbook entry on Rwanda indicates that it is almost as large as the U.S. state of Maryland and has nearly ten million people. It has three official languages, and its top trading partners are China, Kenya, and Germany. President Paul Kagame was elected with just over 95% of the vote about seven years ago. It is bordered by Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Burundi.