afrol News, 17 June - Sylvestre Gacumbitsi, a former mayor of a south-eastern Rwandan commune, today was convicted to a thirty-year prison sentence for extreme cruelties committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He was found guilty of inciting the population to kill Tutsis taking refuge in the village church, leading to the slaughter of 20,000 people.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda - located in Arusha, Tanzania - today announced its verdict against Mr Gacumbitsi, being one of the harshest in the court's eight-year history. The ex-mayor was found guilty in several of the worst-possible crimes against humanity - genocide, extermination and rape.

The court found it proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had plaid a leading role in the genocide of Tutsi civilians in the commune of Rusomo, located at the Tanzanian border. Mr Gacumbitsi had participated in the planning of the mass killings and ensured the distribution of weapons to the militia groups organising the slaughter.

There was proof that he had organised meetings during which he incited the population to kill Tutsis. "Through his actions and speeches, he clearly manifested his genocidal intention," the Arusha court said in its sentence.

The ex-mayor of Rusomo was held personally responsible for the worst genocidal event taking place in his commune, and also one of the worst incidents during the 100-day genocide in Rwanda, where a total of 900,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus are estimated to have been slaughtered. This was the massacre at Nyarubuye church in Rusomo.

On 15 April 1994, at Nyarubuye church, the elected leader of the community "personally killed a Tutsi and gave the signal to start the killings, thereby inciting the population to attack Tutsis taking refuge among the thousands of people at the church," the Arusha court found. Further, Mr Gacumbitsi "ordered both his subordinates and local police officers to participate in the attack."

He also participated in attacks against the same church on 16 and 17 April 1994, "during which survivors were finished off," according to the court's sentence.

The Arusha court said it was "particularly convinced" of Mr Gacumbitsi's participation of the Nyarubuye church massacre, where up to 20,000 civilians were slaughtered. The court also declared the mayor "responsible for having planned, incited, and ordered the local police officers in Rusomo to participate in the attacks" on the civilians taking refuge in the church.

The court also had retained the testimony of witnesses who were raped, and accepted that these witnesses had been raped because of their ethnic origin as Tutsis. Thus, the sentence concluded that Mr Gacumbitsi was "criminally responsible for having incited rape," and found him guilty of rape as a crime against humanity.

The convicted genocide criminal, who served as Rusomo mayor from 1983 to 1994, fled into neighbouring Tanzania as the rebel Rwanda Patriotic Front ousted the national government that organised the genocide. There, he lived an anonymous life as one of many Rwandan refugees.

Mr Gacumbitsi was found by a television crew of the British broadcaster BBC, filming in the western Tanzanian refugee camp. Shortly after the disclosure, on 20 June 2001, he was arrested by Tanzanian authorities and immediately transferred to the UN's detention facility in Arusha, where he is still being held. The trial against him started on 28 July last year.

The thirty-year prison sentence against Mr Gacumbitsi is one of the harshest in the history of the Arusha court. It is also a landmark ruling as the tribunal expanded the definition of rape as a crime against humanity. It however remains to be seen if the sentence will stand, as Mr Gacumbitsi has announced he will appeal the verdict.

During the eight years the Arusha tribunal has been operational, only 21 genocide criminals have been convicted. A total of 81 persons have been indicted for genocidal crimes. Most are now in the detention of the UN-backed court.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories