{IGIHE learnt that if an alleged perpetrator of genocide is stopped on its territory, France must pass him/her to justice. Here is what is called “universal jurisdiction “of national courts to judge what type of defendant. }
Meanwhile, Pascal Simbikangwa was arrested in Mayotte in 2008 for trafficking in false documents. He lived under the pseudonym Senyamuhara Safari. The police then identified him as Simbikangwa, a Rwandan who is the subject of an Interpol red plug.
The man was transferred to Fresnes prison, where he had been in custody pending trial. Rwanda has requested his extradition, that France refused because of doubts about the ability of the Rwandan justice system to conduct a fair trial.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR, based in Arusha, Tanzania), which held the trials of largest fishes, was set to close its doors after 20 years of existence. As the International Criminal Court in The Hague, it has jurisdiction over crimes committed after 2002.
From Tuesday, 4th February, 2014, Pascal Simbikangwa will be tried in Paris for six to eight weeks by a jury of: six close friends of the defendant, twenty witnesses – farmers, traders, guardians of dams and neighbors of the accused – especially coming from Rwanda. Others will give their testimonies from Sweden, Belgium or Canada by videoconference.
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