Attorney General JB Muntagana had a meeting today with Dr. Serge Brammertz, the United Nations Chief Prosecutor for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
The conference came after a briefing from the Security Council and concentrated on enhancing the current collaboration between the Rwandan National Public Prosecution Authority and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in criminal matters..
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT or Mechanism) is an international court set up by the Security Council of the United Nations to execute the remaining tasks of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) once the mandates of the tribunal have been completed.
Rwanda’s government had problems with the IRMCT regarding the early release of the 1994 Genocide’s convicted masterminds against the Tutsi in Rwanda
An example is Ferdinand Nahimana who was released from prison in 2016 before finishing his sentence of 30 years.
Nahimana was one of the genocide ideology architects on which the campaign of extermination was based.
In reality, he was discovered to be the mastermind of RTLM hate radio by the judges of the Trial Chamber.
But more lately, Rwanda worked with the MICT to monitor the remaining fugitive genocidaire and bring it to justice.
Of the eight, in case they are detained, only three – the so-called Big Fish – stay under the authority of the Mechanism.
They are Augustin Bizimana, Félicien Kabuga and Protais Mpiranya.
Five other cases; Fulgence Kayishema, Charles Sikubwabo, Aloys Ndimbati, Charles Ryandikayo and Phénéas Munyarugarama, were referred to Rwanda as the tribunal wound up its activities.
Asked about the meeting Prosecutor General Muntagana revealed, ”After the security Council briefing, Serge Brammertz came to check on me and other authorities to share developments and seek cooperation in his endeavors to bring to justice the remaining fugitives indicted by the MICT, its a continuation of our previous engagements on tracking genocide fugitives.”