UN prosecutor hails arrest of Rwanda genocide suspect

Readers look at a newspaper June 12, 2002 in Nairobi carrying a ‘wanted’ photograph of Rwandan Felicien Kabuga. (Reuters)

• ‘Today’s arrest underlines the strength of our determination’
• Felicien Kabuga was indicted by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1997 on seven counts including genocide

THE HAGUE: A top UN prosecutor said on Saturday that the arrest of a key Rwanda genocide fugitive in France showed that suspects would be brought to justice for crimes in the 1994 bloodshed.
“The arrest of Felicien Kabuga today is a reminder that those responsible for genocide can be brought to account, even 26 years after their crimes,” said Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) in The Hague.
“Today’s arrest underlines the strength of our determination.”
The prosecutor praised French authorities, saying the arrest “could not have been made without their exceptional cooperation and skill,” and also thanked other countries and international organizations that helped.
Kabuga is now expected to be transferred to the custody of The Hague to stand trial “following completion of appropriate procedures under French law,” the statement said.
Kabuga was indicted by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1997 on seven counts including genocide.
The Rwanda tribunal formally closed in 2015 and its duties have since been taken over by the MICT, which also deals with cases left over from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.