At the time, 22 individuals who had been convicted of role in the Genocide were shot dead.
The capital punishment triggered mixed reactions among foreign countries which condemned the decision taken by the Government of Rwanda.
Among the executed individuals, is Virginie Mukankusi, the former School Inspector in Kigali City during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Reports do not provide deep details on the role of Mukankusi during the Genocide but indicate that he was convicted over persecuting Tutsi victims before killing them.
Mukankusi was also convicted of hunting and pointing out hideouts for Tutsi children to be killed by Interahamwe.
Mukankusi was handed life sentence on 28th February 1997 by Gitarama Primary Court. The convict and defence lawyers were not satisfied with the verdict and filed an appeal before Nyabisindu Intermediate Court which retained the punishment.
During trial proceedings that began in January 1997, Amnesty International revealed that Mukankusi made self-contradictory statements at different times which might have been considered by the court to pin her.
Mukankusi’s defence lawyer requested for lenient sentence of his client claiming that she was an ordinary citizen not familiar with political affairs.
However, the Prosecution said that it could not clear her of cruelty and severity of the committed crime.
The verdict was not welcomed by foreign countries and international organizations including Amnesty which considered the decision as a step backward in the judicial system.
“The public execution of 22 people in Rwanda on 24 April has further damaged hopes of peace and reconciliation in the country,” reads an extract from Amnesty’s report released on 24th April 1998.
Pope John Paul II also wrote a letter to the then President, Pasteur Bizimungu requesting the cancellation of the execution but the Government of Rwanda insisted that the decision of the court must be respected.
It also explained that the verdict served as a warning to people with intentions to abuse human rights.
On the day of execution, Mukankusi was along with a group of key masterminds in the preparation and execution of Genocide against the Tutsi including Frodouard Karamira, the former Vice President of MDR political party who played a major role in spreading Hutu Power ideology and mobilizing Hutus to exterminate Tutsis through the then national broadcaster, RTLM.
The death sentence was later abolished. The Government of Rwanda scrapped the death penalty from its penal code on 25th July 2007.
It is said that it had been handed to 600 individuals before its abolishment.
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