The United States said Thursday the genocide conviction and sentence of ex-Rwandan army chief Augustin Bizimungu shows that even top military officers are not immune from prosecution.
The four sentenced are Bizimungu, Augustin Ndindiliyimana, a former Rwandan General Francois Xavier Nzuwonemeye, and Innocent Sagahutu.
Bizimungu was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment. A general of the Rwandan Armed forces, he held the post of Lieutenant colonel before being promoted to Major General subsequently after the death of the late President Juvenal Habyarimana.
“The United States welcomes the ruling as an important step in providing justice and accountability for the Rwandan people and the international community,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a press release.
“The conviction of Mr. Bizimungu, in particular, shows that even those at the highest levels of military leadership are not immune from prosecution in the face of such grave atrocities,” it said.
“There are still 10 ICTR fugitives at-large and the United States urges all countries to continue their cooperation with the ICTR so that these fugitives can be expeditiously arrested and brought to justice,” the statement said.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda based in Arusha was established in late 1994 to try the Hutu perpetrators of Rwanda’s genocide which claimed some 800,000 lives, mainly minority Tutsis, in a span of 100 days.
During the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, Augustin Ndindiliyimana held the position of Chief of Staff of the Gendarmerie Nationale. Ndindiliyimana is alleged to have conspired with his co-accused (Francois Xavier Nzuwonemeye Innocent Sagahutu, Augustin Bizimungu) in the plan to exterminate Tutsis in Rwanda.
He is also accused for his responsibility for the atrocities committed by forces under his control, including the deaths of ten Belgian peacekeepers in April 1994 which sparked the withdrawal of all Belgian troops from the UN mission in Rwanda. However, ICTR on Tuesday ordered his immediate release, after finding his justifying factors reasonable. Ndindiliyimana,later on expressed his happiness for being released after remaining in detention for 11 years.
Nzuwonemeye, a member the Rwandan Armed Forces in 1994, held the rank of major. In 1993, he was commander of a battalion in the FAR ; he was subsequently promoted to commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion.
The ICTR indictment alleges that between 1990 and 1994, Nzuwonemeye and other officers conspired to exterminate the Tutsi civilians and political opponents, and helped to train interahamwe and militia groups who committed the genocide
After Habyarimana’s death and the start of the genocide, members of the Reconnaissance Battalion commanded by Nzuwonemeye’s subordinate, Innocent Sagahutu “tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed” Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. They also took into custody ten Belgian peacekeepers from UNAMIR who had been guarding her house, who were later killed.
Sagahutu a member of the Rwandan Armed forces, in 1994 held the rank of captain. He was second-in-command of the Reconnaissance Battalion (RECCE), serving under battalion commander Major François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye.
According to the indictment, between 1990 and 1994, Sagahutu and other officers conspired to exterminate Tutsi civilians. They distributed weapons and prepared lists of people to be eliminated.
The indictment accused Sagahutu and the four other defendants of conspiring to perpetrate genocide, mass rape, sexual assault, and murder of giving the orders that led to these crimes and of doing nothing to stop the crimes when they took place.
Sagahutu , after fleeing the country after the RPF victory, was arrested on February 15, 2000. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.