François Bazaramba, a former Baptist pastor in the Southern Province who was convicted of Genocide crimes, has died while serving a life sentence in Finland. According to Finnish local media, Bazaramba was found dead on Friday, January 16, inside Kerava Prison some 30 kilometers from Finnish capital Helsinki, where he had been held since his conviction in 2012. His body was discovered in the prison’s sauna area, reports said. Finnish police have opened an investigation into the cause of his death. Prison authorities have not yet released an official statement. ALSO READ: Finnish court returns for Bazaramba appeal Bazaramba arrived in Finland in 2003 and applied for asylum, but his request was rejected. He was later arrested in 2007 following years of investigations into his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for inciting and participating in the killing of Tutsi civilians. The Helsinki Court of Appeal found him guilty on two main charges: intent to destroy the Tutsi population in Maraba in current-day Huye District and spreading propaganda calling for their extermination. The court ruled that Bazaramba masterminded attacks that led to the deaths of more than 5,000 people in Nyakizu in Nyaruguru District. Prosecutors said he organised and maintained night patrols and roadblocks, forcing Tutsi residents from their homes, and oversaw the burning and destruction of their property. Bazaramba pleaded not guilty throughout his trial, which was the first genocide case prosecuted under Finland's international criminal law framework.
