Elizaphan Ntakirutimana
Encyclopedia
Elizaphan Ntakirutimana (1924, Kibuye
, Rwanda
– January 22, 2007, Arusha, Tanzania) was a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
in Rwanda
and was the first clergy
man to be convicted for a role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
In February 2003, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
found both Ntakirutimana and his son Dr. Gérard, a physician who had completed graduate work in the US prior to returning to Rwanda, guilty of genocide
committed in Rwanda
in 1994. The Tribunal found it proven beyond reasonable doubt that Ntakirutimana had transported armed attackers to the Mugonero complex, where they killed hundreds of Tutsi
refugees. He was convicted on the basis of eyewitness accounts. A number of the convictions were overturned on appeal but the sentence was unchanged. Ntakirutimana was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He was released on December 6, 2006 after serving 10 years under arrest or in prison, and died the following month.
A letter addressed to Ntakirutimana by Tutsi Seventh-day Adventist pastors, which he showed to author Philip Gourevitch
, provided the title for Gourevitch's 1998 book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families
. The book accuses Ntakirutimana of complicity in the deaths of the refugees.
Elizaphan Ntakirutimana died on January 22, 2007, aged 82.
Kibuye
Kibuye is a city in Karongi district, and the capital of Western Province in Rwanda. The city lies on the eastern shore of Lake Kivu, about halfway down, and between Gisenyi and Cyangugu. It is known as a beach resort and is home to a genocide memorial marking the massacre of 90% of the town's...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
– January 22, 2007, Arusha, Tanzania) was a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and was the first clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man to be convicted for a role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
In February 2003, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
found both Ntakirutimana and his son Dr. Gérard, a physician who had completed graduate work in the US prior to returning to Rwanda, guilty of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
committed in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
in 1994. The Tribunal found it proven beyond reasonable doubt that Ntakirutimana had transported armed attackers to the Mugonero complex, where they killed hundreds of Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
refugees. He was convicted on the basis of eyewitness accounts. A number of the convictions were overturned on appeal but the sentence was unchanged. Ntakirutimana was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He was released on December 6, 2006 after serving 10 years under arrest or in prison, and died the following month.
A letter addressed to Ntakirutimana by Tutsi Seventh-day Adventist pastors, which he showed to author Philip Gourevitch
Philip Gourevitch
Philip Gourevitch , an American author and journalist, is a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker and the former editor of The Paris Review. His most recent book is The Ballad of Abu Ghraib , an account of Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison under the American occupation...
, provided the title for Gourevitch's 1998 book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda is a 1998 non-fiction book about the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994, written by The New Yorker writer Philip Gourevitch....
. The book accuses Ntakirutimana of complicity in the deaths of the refugees.
Elizaphan Ntakirutimana died on January 22, 2007, aged 82.
See also
- Charles A Adeogun-PhillipsCharles A Adeogun-PhillipsCharles Ayodeji Adeogun-Phillips is a former genocide and war crimes prosecutor; international lawyer and founder of Charles Anthony LLP.-Background:...
- Wenceslas MunyeshyakaWenceslas MunyeshyakaFather Wenceslas Munyeshyaka is a Rwandan Roman Catholic priest who was found guilty of involvement in the Rwandan genocide.A military tribunal in Rwanda has found a Catholic priest, resident in France, guilty of rape and involvement in the 1994 genocide and sentenced him in absentia to life in...
- Emmanuel RukundoEmmanuel RukundoEmmanuel Rukundo is a Rwandan Roman Catholic priest who in 2009 was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for his participation in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide....
- Athanase SerombaAthanase SerombaAthanase Seromba is a Rwandan priest who was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in the Rwandan genocide....
External links
- Dennis Hokama, "Former Rwandan Seventh-day Adventist Minister to be Extradited for War Crimes Trial". Adventist TodayAdventist TodayAdventist Today is a bimonthly Christian magazine representing a progressive Seventh-day Adventist perspective. First published in 1993, it is currently edited by J. David Newman, the former editor of Ministry...
8:2 (March–April 2000)