6/21/08

Rwanda: World Getting Smaller for Genocide Suspects


The Nation (Nairobi)
 

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Kezio-Musoke David
Kigali

In just a spell of five months since the year begun, three of Rwanda's genocide fugitives have been arrested, some four who have been hiding in the United Kingdom (UK) under false identities are awaiting extradition to Rwanda and one has voluntarily handed himself over to the authorities.

On Tuesday, four Rwandan army officers accused of crimes committed while battling the 1994 genocide were charged in a Rwandan military court.

After a decade of reluctance to point the finger at army officers, seen by many as heroes, Rwanda showed her commitment to bring justice to all those found to have committed any kind of crimes during the genocide.

The officers would be tried in courts of law for killing 13 clergymen.

The trend of events in the past few months clearly indicates that as the Internationals Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR) begins to work on its exit plan in the next six months, the world in which genocide criminals are living in is getting smaller and smaller.

Just a week ago, a British court made a landmark ruling that gave a positive nod to Rwanda's request to extradite genocide fugitives back to their motherland.

Judges of the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London backed this request to allow the transfer of four Rwandans wanted in Kigali on charges of inciting mass murder in the course of the genocide.

The four including a former powerful local government official are: Dr Vincent Bajinya, Mr Charles Munyaneza, Mr Celestin Ugirashebuja and Mr Emmanuel Nteziryayo. They have been fighting this extradition request in the British courts of law since their arrest in December 2006.

According to the designated judge, Anthony Evans, despite the fact that Rwanda has no extradition treaty with the UK, the British Extradition Act 2003 gives the British Secretary of State powers to issue a transfer certificate if he believes the right transfer arrangements have been made between the two countries.

The ruling would mean that all genocide fugitives intending to use the UK to seek refuge will no longer find it a safe haven for hiding their criminal past.

Mr Evans' ruling said: "Apart from the logistical and practical ditties of bringing witnesses both prosecution and (the) defence from Rwanda, it is the correct course of action for the trials to take place in Rwanda."

This ruling also came just a few days after France, in a surprise move decided to deport Mr Dominique Ntawukuriryayo another genocide suspect to the ICTR in Tanzania.

Comfortably lived

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Mr Ntawukuriryayo had comfortably lived in the town of Carcassonne since 1999. France in the past, has been found to be protective of genocide fugitives.

The biggest fish still at large is Félicien Kabuga, alleged to be the financier of the genocide.

Meanwhile, as the the ICTR runs out of time, the tribunal's prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow last week asked the UN Security Council to extend the tribunal's mandate beyond December 2008 to allow the tracking team to get to those still in hiding and also allow completion of 28 cases still in progress.






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Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
Procurement Consultant
Gsm: +250-08470205
Home: +250-55104140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali-Rwanda
East Africa
Blog: http://www.cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID : Kayisa66

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