The Paris Appeals Court on Wednesday ordered for the transfer of Dominique Ntawukuriryayo, a former leader in the Southern province, to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).The former sous-prefet of Gisagara in the then Butare prefecture is held responsible for the killings of about 25, 000 Tutsis who had sought refuge at Kabuye hill, where he urged them to go so that they can be protected.However, the defence appealed the decision meaning that Ntawukuriryayo will not be transferred until the appeals court pronounces itself on the matter.Aloys Mutabingwa, Rwanda’s Representative at the Tanzania-based ICTR said the extradition decision a welcome move.“France is just like any other state that is part of the international community, which should fulfil its legal duty to arrest and transfer these fugitives,” Mutabingwa by telephone from Arusha yesterday.He said France should also transfer two other suspects, Fr Wenceslas Munyeshyaka and former prefet of former Gikongoro prefecture, Laurent Bucyibaruta, who were this year arrested twice and released on both occasions.The trio’s apprehensions were sanctioned by the ICTR with the assistance of Interpol.According to Ntawukuriryayo’s indictment, he is accused of among other crimes Genocide, complicity to commit Genocide, and direct and public incitement to commit Genocide.Mutabingwa argued that France should cooperate to have other indicted fugitives staying there arrested. He added that the Rwandan government, together with the ICTR has been and still provides necessary information to have any Genocide fugitive arrested.“We have done this through diplomatic channels,” he said.Ntawukuriryayo was arrested in the French southern city of Carcassonne last month.There are several other Genocide fugitives indicted by Rwanda’s Office of the Prosecutor General continuously who still live in France including former first lady Agathe Kanziga.The same French court (Paris Appeals Court) is due to rule on the extradition of Fr Munyeshyaka and Bucyibaruta next week. The pair was released on bail in September after their second arrest.Ends
