Members of the East Africa Law Society (EALS), a regional umbrella for legal practitioners in East Africa, have written to the British High Commissioner in Rwanda calling for an unconditional release of Lt Gen Emmanuel Karenzi Karake, the head of the National Intelligence and Security Services.

Gen Karake was last month arrested at Heathrow International Airport on a highly contested arrest warrant issued by a Spanish court in 2008.

According to the letter, dated July 24 and signed by the president of the society, Nassor Khamis Mohammed, the British government had no legal basis to effect the arrest warrant because of a stay of the prosecution order and a withdrawal of all arrest warrants issued by the higher Audiencia Nacional Penal Chamber of Spain in Madrid in January 2015.

"(We) call upon the British government to unconditionally release Lt Gen Emmanuel Karenzi Karake in view of the stay of the prosecution order and withdrawal of all the arrest warrants that could affect the accused,” the letter, which has been seen by Sartuday Times, reads in part.

The letter, which is also copied to the Secretary General of the East African Community and the Spanish Ambassador to Rwanda, further calls on the international community to ensure that the principle of universal jurisdiction is applied in a transparent manner that is consistent with the fundamental tenets of the rule of law and the respect for judicial independence.

The arrest of Karake on June 20, who was in the UK on an official visit, triggered countrywide protests demanding for his release, while other Rwandans and friends in different capitals around the world also held protests.

Gen Karake is currently out on bail and is expected in court in September.

In a show of solidarity with Gen Karake, a campaign initiated by Rwandan businesses and later embraced by other Rwandans, has since raised over Rwf1.2 billion, equivalent to the one million UK pounds that court set for his bail.

Several international experts and leaders have dismissed the indictments, which was also issued against 39 other former leaders of the Rwanda Patriotic Army, saying they are politically motivated.

The EALS has a membership of over 10,000 practitioners from six law societies.

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