The United Nations war crimes tribunal set up after the Rwandan
genocide today reduced the jail sentence of a former local official who
was convicted last year of his role in a notorious massacre in which
thousands of ethnic Tutsi civilians died.
Dominique Ntawukulilyayo, a former sub-prefect in Rwanda’s southern
prefecture of Butare, will now serve 20 years in prison instead of 25
years after a ruling from the appeals chamber of the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
The appeals chamber found that the trial chamber had erred when it
convicted Mr. Ntawukulilyayo of ordering genocide for the killings at
Kabuye hill on 23 April 1994, just weeks after the genocide began.
But the five-member appeal panel upheld Mr. Ntawukulilyayo’s conviction for aiding and abetting genocide over the same incident.
During his trial, the court heard how Mr. Ntawukulilyayo instructed
many Tutsi families who had gathered at Gisagara market over four days
to move to nearby Kabuye hill, promising them they would be protected
and fed.
But he later transported soldiers to the hill, and the soldiers
joined with other assailants to attack the Tutsis, killing thousands.
Meanwhile, an appeal hearing also began today at the ICTR – which is
based in Arusha, Tanzania – in the case of Gaspard Kanyarukiga, a
businessman who was convicted of genocide and other war crimes for his
role in the destruction of the Nyange church on 16 April 1994, which led
to the killing of about 2,000 Tutsi civilians.
Mr. Kanyarukiga was sentenced to 30 years in jail and both he and
prosecutors have appealed against decisions about convictions and
sentencing.
Compiled by Brenda for Rwanda Safaris
No comments:
Post a Comment