Kayishema to be transferred to Rwanda soon – IRMCT Chief Prosecutor

Serge Brammertz, the Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations' International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), told The New Timesthat he hopes Fulgence Kayishema will be in Rwanda for prosecution in “a few weeks.” Kayishema, 63, a top suspect of the Genocide against the Tutsi, was arrested on Wednesday, May 25, in Paarl, South Africa after more than two decades of evading justice. ALSO READ: How Genocide fugitive Kayishema changed identity to elude capture A former head of the genocidal government’s judicial police in the former Kibuye prefecture, he is alleged to have played a key role in planning and implementing the killing of approximately 2,000 Tutsis at the Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 Genocide. In an exclusive interview with The New Times via a video call on Friday, May 26, Brammertz said it is a bit early to give details about the procedures that are going to follow after Kayishema’s arrest, but highlighted what he expects. “He is now in custody with the South African authorities. I think he is appearing today in court which would be the start of the transfer proceedings,” he said. ALSO READ: Survivors welcome arrest of genocide fugitive Fulgence Kayishema From South Africa, he will be transferred to Arusha, before being eventually brought back to Rwanda as expected. “It is obvious that this is a case which has already been transferred a number of years ago to Rwanda for prosecution. I was in contact with the Prosecutor General (of Rwanda) yesterday to make sure that we are all on the same page. I would imagine that the procedure in South Africa will be perhaps a question of weeks, and here (in Arusha) it will be relatively quick. So I hope that in a few weeks’ time he will be in Kigali and then we will work very closely together - the Prosecutor General and my office to make this the strongest possible case,” Brammertz said. Speaking about the arrest, he said his office is extremely pleased that after being on the run for more than 20 years, Kayishema was finally arrested. “I think that is really a big success for the cooperation my office is having with the Prosecutor General of Rwanda and with the police authorities in South Africa,” he noted.

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Kayishema to be transferred to Rwanda soon – IRMCT Chief Prosecutor