Global Courant 2023-05-26 23:00:43
JOHANNESBURG
Fulgence Kayishema, one of the most wanted suspects in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, appeared before a court in South Africa on Friday.
Kayishema briefly appeared in Cape Town court before her trial was adjourned to June 2.
The 62-year-old former Rwandan police officer was arrested in Paarl, South Africa’s Western Cape province, on Wednesday, after 22 years on the run.
He is accused of plotting the murder of approximately 2,000 Tutsi refugees in the Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda.
An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutu were killed in Rwanda in 1994, during 100 days of bloody events.
Kayishema was arrested in a joint operation by South African authorities and the International Criminal Courts Residue Mechanism (IRMCT) fugitive tracking team, according to a statement released by the UN special tribunal on Thursday.
IRMCT chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said Kayishema has been on the run for more than 20 years and that “his arrest will ensure that he finally gets justice for the crimes he claims”.
The IRMCT said that genocide is the most serious crime known to humanity, and the international community is committed to ensuring that its perpetrators are prosecuted and punished.
“This arrest is a concrete indication that this commitment has not faded and that justice will be served no matter how long it takes,” the statement said.
On Thursday, the UN welcomed Kayishema’s arrest and said: “The arrest of Mr. Kayishema sends a strong message that those alleged to have committed such crimes will not escape justice and that more than a quarter of a century later, they will finally be held to account. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
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