afrol News, 30 April - A Higher Military Court in the Rwandan capital Kigali upheld the life sentence of a Rwandan military chief, Maj. Gen. Laurent Munyakazi.

Maj. Gen. Munyakazi was initially guilty of several counts of genocide, including crimes against humanity and conspiracy to commit mass murders during the 100-day 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Maj Gen. Munyakazi, who commanded the second division the Rwandan army before his arrest two years back, is the highest military official to face genocide-related case in a Rwandan court.

The Arusha-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is also trying other military commanders accusing of perpetrating the genocide in which over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus minorities were slaughtered.

The military officer’s first conviction happened in November 2006 when a military court jailed him life for his role in the massacres of civilians in 1994 in Kigali. He was sentenced alongside a Catholic Priest, Fr Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, who was tried in absentia while in France.

The Chairman of military appeals court, Major General Patrick Nyamvumba, who delivered the judgment on Friday, said the accused has two weeks to file a final appeal to the Supreme Court.

The convicted military chief returned from exile to join the new Rwandan army in 1995.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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