Rwanda : ICTR to transfer Munyarugarama case to Rwanda
The prosecutor general of the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR), Hassan Bubacar Jallow has requested the court to transfer the case of another genocide suspect, to be tried in Rwanda.
The suspect, Lieutenant Colonel Pheneas Munyarugarama is a former army commander for the Gako miltary camp, and is charged with genocide crimes committed in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide which claimed over 800.000 people in a range of three months.
This is the eighth case that the ICTR prosecution has requested for transfer to Rwanda’s judicial system before the Arusha-Tanzania based court turns into a residual UN court this July 2012.
This suspect, like many others is however still at large. The first case was that of former pentecostal pastor Jean Uwinkindi- who was arrested in western uganda and has since been transfered to Rwanda.
Other case include: Bernard Munyagishari, who is jailed at the ICTR detention cells; Fulgence Kayishema, Charles Sikubwabo and Ladislas Ntaganzwa, Charles Ryandikayo and Aloys Ndimbati – all still at large. Prosecution also asked for the transfer of the last two suspects.
The prosecution said that Munyarugarama is responsible for the killings in Kanzenze, in Bugesera district since he was the head of the Gako military camp and gave orders to the crimes against humanity and genocide.
The prosecution placed charges on him saying that as a head of the operations, he received daily security reports and briefings, which puts him in better position to be answerable for the killings.
ICTR prosecutor, Jallow stated that Rwanda is in position to handle all the transferred cases since the government has met the required standards requested by the UN court and that these transfers are part of the preparatory strategy of winding up its operations and mandate on the genocide cases.
