ROMA – On April 7, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in which approximately 800,000 people lost their lives, including Hutu and other groups who opposed the genocide and the extremist government that orchestrated it, Amnesty International Urges the international community to do more to ensure justice and accountability for victims and survivors.
To remember. From 6 April to 16 July 1994, the genocide of the Tutsis and moderate Hutus took place in the African country, at the hands of the regular army and paramilitary militias (organization). The fundamental reasons are to be found in the profound ethnic hatred towards the Tutsi minority, who constituted the social and cultural elite in the country. Although many of those responsible have been tried before national and community courts in Rwanda, as well as by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and tribunals in Europe and North America on the basis of the principle of universal jurisdiction, recent developments highlight the urgency of pursuing justice with determination.
Delays deny justice. “Delays in justice are equivalent to denying it,” said Tigere Chagutah, director of Amnesty International for Eastern and Southern Africa – the confirmation of the death of many of the most wanted suspects for the genocide before they could face justice, as well as the indefinite suspension of the trial of another defendant due to senile dementia , highlight how important it is to persevere to ensure justice for survivors and families of victims in Rwanda.”
The escape of the four most wanted. Between May 2020 and November 2023, the International Residual Criminal Tribunals Mechanism’s Fugitive Tracking Team confirmed the deaths of four of the most wanted fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In 2020, the remains of Augustin Bizimana, Minister of Defense during the genocide, were found in the Republic of Congo. The International Residual Mechanism of Criminal Tribunals also confirmed that Protais Mpiranya, commander of the Presidential Guard, died in Zimbabwe in 2006. He was blamed for the murders of senior moderate leaders, including Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, President of the Constitutional Court, the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Information, as well as ten Belgian peacekeepers from the United Nations.
The other cases of impunity. It was also confirmed that Phénéas Munyarugarama, commander of the Gako military camp and the highest military officer in the Bugesera region during the genocide, died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002; while Aloys Ndimbati, mayor of Gisovu, died in Rwanda in 1997. In May 2023, another genocide suspect and indictee at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Fulgence Kayishema, who had remained at large for decades, was finally arrested in South Africa. It was expected that he would be transferred either to the International Residual Mechanism of Criminal Courts in Tanzania or directly to Rwanda to face trial; he is currently in prison in South Africa due to immigration-related charges.
The main financier of the genocide. In August 2023, the trial of 90-year-old Félicien Kabuga, the alleged main financier of the genocide and captured after 26 years on the run, was suspended indefinitely due to age-related illness. The decision was made by appellate judges of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts following a June 2023 ruling that found Kabuga unfit to appear in court due to severe senile dementia. He was accused of having financed and provided logistical support to the Interahamwe militias, as well as of promoting the broadcast of genocidal hate speech by Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines. Survivors expressed anger and disappointment after the court’s decision.
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– 2024-04-06 18:42:22
