{{Rwanda’s prosecutor general Martin Ngoga has condemned a delay in the deportation of Rwandan genocide suspect Leon Mugesera held in Canada, saying the delay is ‘disgrace to genocide victims’.}}
The delay resulted from United Nations Committee against Torture highlighting further investigation into Mugesera’s concerns of fearing for his life once deported to Rwanda and that he would be given a fair trial under the Rwandan judicial system.
Another reason for the delay is his sudden illness which Quebec tabloids attribute to a suicide attempt.
Ngoga has rejected Mugesera’s allegations of being tortured and lacking fair trial since the accusations were baseless given progress in the Rwanda’s judiciary.
The prosecutor general noted that torture for instance was abolished in Rwanda and that the country is a signatory to an international agreement on the same. “We have also abolished death sentence I wonder why he is making such complaints,” he remarked.
He also criticized UN decision of delaying his deportation adding that the body wants to mislead and prolong the case yet UN’s International Criminal Court (ICC) has sent Sierra Leone war prisoners to be jailed in Rwanda.
“I wonder how they doubt our judiciary yet they entrust us with trying other deported suspects for example the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has sent several suspects here and they’ve got fair trials,” he said.
As Mugesera recovers from what his physicians term as severe fatigue and stress, Quebec’s Justice William Fraiberg has ordered a stay of deportation until Jan. 20, when Mugesera’s lawyers are due back in court.
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