Denmark readies to extradite genocide suspect Mbarushima

Court proceedings in Mbarushimana case

The Danish Supreme court has finally announced concrete plans of extraditing genocide suspect, Emmanuel Mbarushimana, who has been expected in Rwanda since last year.

This announcement confirms the previous decisions by City Court of ROSKILDE and Eastern High Court of Denmark In July 2012 when the Danish Supreme court promised to send the suspect to Rwanda to face charges of committing genocide in 1994.

Alain Mukuralinda, the Spokesman for the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA)  said, in a statement that the suspect had exhausted all ways of appeal in Denmark and it will now be upon the Danish Ministry of Justice to organize with the Government of Rwanda on when Mbarushimana should be extradited to face trial in Rwanda.

The 50 year old Mbarushimana is a former inspector of schools in Butare prefecture, now Huye District, in the southern province. He is accused of killing Tutsis civilians between April and May of 1994 at various road blocks, especially at Kabuye Hill in April 1994.

Mbarushimana is charged with genocide crimes, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, murder and extermination committed in the former Muganza Commune, in the Prefecture of Butare.

He has been living in the Scandinavian country since 2001, and was arrested at his home in Zealand region in December 2010. He has been in custody of Danish police since that time.

Rwanda’s Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit (GFTU) had requested for Mbarushimana’s extradition in March 2012.

Earlier on, the head of GTFU, John Bosco Siboyintore had said that Rwanda was waiting for the Danish government to respond on the exact timeline and follow up on the request.

A big number Rwandan genocide suspects are considered to be living in European countries- especially:  France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, and Finland. Others have also been reported in New Zealand, Canada and the USA.

While in Africa, many Genocide fugitives live in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo Brazaville, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

In the last few years, some of the suspects, like Leon Mugesera, Charles Bandora and Pastor Jean Uwinkindi, have been extradited and out of the 1092 files, 132 indictments and arrest warrants have been issued in 23 countries. Seven genocide fugitives have been brought to Rwanda to face justice in the last 18 years.