Fulgence Kayishema alleges sprung up killing around 2,000 Tutsi refugees in Nyangae Catholic Church during 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in RwandaInternational Residuary Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMS)IRMCT) said in a statement,
it was Arrested in South Africa on Wednesday In a joint operation between the prosecutor’s IRMCT office and the authorities.
finally facing justice
Kaishema has been at large since 2001 and was one of four fugitives from the massacre, during which a an estimated one million people diedAnd approximately 150,000 to 250,000 women were raped over a period of about 100 days.
in a statement issued by his spokesman, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterressaid arrest”sends a powerful message that those accused of having committed such offenses cannot escape justice and will eventually be held accountablemore than a quarter of a century later.”
Mr. Guterres commended the cooperation between the IRMCT and the South African authorities for the response, and recalled that “all states have a obligation to cooperate The mechanism for location, arrest, detention, surrender and transfer of accused persons is still rampant.”
IRMCT Chief Prosecutor Serge Bramertz Said his arrest ensures that the long-time fugitive will finally face justice for his alleged crimes.
“Genocide is the gravest crime known to mankind. The international community is determined to ensure that its perpetrators are prosecuted and punished. This arrest is a concrete demonstration that this commitment does not fade And justice will be done, no matter how long it takes,” he said.
International Partners for Justice
Mr Bramertz said the detailed investigation leading to the arrest was made possible through the support and cooperation of South Africa and the Operational Task Team established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to assist the ICMRT. fugitive tracking team,
they also got “Significant support” from the same task force in other African countries, notably in Eswatini and Mozambique.
“The Rwandan authorities, led by Prosecutor General Amable Hawugiaremi remain our strongest partner and provided necessary assistance,” he said.
Citing support from other countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, the chief prosecutor said, “Kayishma’s arrest shows once again that Through direct cooperation, no matter the challenges, justice can be secured between international and national law enforcement agencies.
The IRMCT builds on the essential functions first performed by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which closed in December 2015, and the second for the former Yugoslavia, which ended two years later.
Kaishema was indicted by the Rwandan Tribunal in 2001.
He was charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity for the killings and other crimes committed in Kivumu commune, Kibuye Prefecture, during the 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.
According to the indictment, he and other co-perpetrators murdered more than 2,000 refugees – men, women, the elderly and children – on 15 April 1994 at Nyange Church in the Kivumu commune.
He “participated directly in the planning and execution” of the massacre, working systematically for two days afterwards to transfer the corpses to mass graves.
‘step forward’
The arrest marks “another step forward” in the effort to capture all fugitives who have been indicted by the ICTR.
Since 2020, the OTP fugitive tracking team has accounted for five fugitives at large, including another architect of the genocide then organized by the extremist Hutu regime, Felicien Kabuga, as well as Augustin Bizimana, Protas Mapiranya it was done. and Fenius Munyarugrama. Is there now only three remaining fugitives,
