Wenceslas Munyeshyaka
Encyclopedia
Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka is a Rwanda
n 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 prison. He was found to have delivered hundreds of adults and children to the genocidal militias, which brutally slaughtered them.
The military tribunal found Munyeshyaka guilty of rape and of aiding militias in the killing of hundreds of Tutsi
refugees at the Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Kigali
, where he was head priest.
-arrest warrant made public on 21 June 2007, he was arrested in France on 20 July 2007, but released by a French Appeals Court on 1 August 2007. Revised indictment was released by the ICTR on 13 August 2007, he was then re-arrested by French authorities on 5 September 2007. Decision on the request of transfer to the ICTR was to be made public on 21 November 2007 http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/wenceslas_munyeshyaka_112.html.
On 20 November 2007, the ICTR decided to decline jurisdiction over this affair in favour of the French judicial authorities.
On 20 February 2008, the French authorities agreed to try Wenceslas Munyeshkaya in France.
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...
n 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
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, guilty of rape and involvement in the 1994 genocide and sentenced him in absentia to life in prison. He was found to have delivered hundreds of adults and children to the genocidal militias, which brutally slaughtered them.
The military tribunal found Munyeshyaka guilty of rape and of aiding militias in the killing of 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 at the Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
, where he was head priest.
Legal twists
He was sentenced in absentia to life in prison by a Rwandan Military Court on 16 November 2006, ICTRInternational 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...
-arrest warrant made public on 21 June 2007, he was arrested in France on 20 July 2007, but released by a French Appeals Court on 1 August 2007. Revised indictment was released by the ICTR on 13 August 2007, he was then re-arrested by French authorities on 5 September 2007. Decision on the request of transfer to the ICTR was to be made public on 21 November 2007 http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/wenceslas_munyeshyaka_112.html.
On 20 November 2007, the ICTR decided to decline jurisdiction over this affair in favour of the French judicial authorities.
On 20 February 2008, the French authorities agreed to try Wenceslas Munyeshkaya in France.
See also
- Athanase SerombaAthanase SerombaAthanase Seromba is a Rwandan priest who was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in the Rwandan genocide....
- 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....
- Elizaphan NtakirutimanaElizaphan NtakirutimanaElizaphan Ntakirutimana was a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rwanda and was the first clergyman to be convicted for a role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide....