A Swedish court has reduced to 24 years the life sentence handed to Stanislas Mbanenande, 64, for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in which more than one million people were killed. As of December 22, Mbanenande, who was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity in 2012, had served 11 years in custody. According to Swedish media, the Örebro district court said Mbanenande showed good behavior before and after his conviction and his risk of recidivism was low, hence a lenient sentence. Recidivism, one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice, refers to a person's relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime. Prisoners in Sweden get released after serving two thirds of their sentences. Mbanenande will potentially be released in five years. He had earlier applied to have his sentence suspended. In 2013, the Stockholm district court said Mbanenande had an informal role as leader among the Interahamwe militia in Kibuye Prefecture and was involved in arranging massacres of the Tutsi in areas including at Nyamishaba school, a Catholic church, the hotel Home St. Jean and Gatwaro stadium. The court said Mbanenande also shot at people with an automatic rifle. He denied the charges.
