The latest visit ealier this week by the President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (UNIRMCT) ahead of the 25th Commemoration of Genocide against Tutsis , was highlighted by the Rwandan media this week.
Judge Carmel Agius arrived Monday in Kigali for a set of consultations between Rwandan judicial officials and the UNIRMCT, a replacement system for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which was closed down in December 2015 so that Genocide cases are transferred to Rwanda.
UN tribunal, survivors seek new beginnings, was the headline of English daily newspaper The New Times, which referred to the meeting held in Kigali between “Ibuka” (remembers), one of the Umbrella organisation for survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the UN court delegation.
The newspaper reported that relations between Genocide survivors and the Government of Rwanda on the one side, and UNIRMCT have suffered a great deal in recent past.
This was because of immediate former tribunal president Theodor Meron’s unilateral decisions to grant early release to top Genocide convicts, without even seeking the opinion of Kigali or survivors’ organisations.
During the meeting, judge Agius promised to make changes, beginning with fixing the relationship between Rwandans and MICT.
In another article entitled “Genocide survivors have given task to the successor of Judge Theodor Meron”, the vernacular online daily “igihe.com” said that former MICT President, Judge Meron consistently reversed convictions, considerably reduced sentences on appeal, and ordered the early release of some `masterminds` behind the genocide.
According to the newspaper, among those released by the former UNIRMCT judge, it includes One of the founders of the notorious Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines (RTLM), Ferdinand Nahimana’s broadcasts exhorting the Hutu population to murder their neighbours is singularly responsible for countless deaths.
The list of those released also Protais Zigiranyirazo a former member of the inner circle, known as “Akazu”, which comprised the true believers in the genocide ideology, where by the Judge Meron Meron overturned the conviction on appeal before ordering his release.
“The former UNIRMCT judge had apparently shown his intention to release everyone convicted of masterminding the Rwanda Genocide Against Tutsi,” said Igihe.com.
Despite this attitude to undermine the legacy of international justice, the papper added that genocide surivors have expressed their optimism after meeting the new judge President of the UN court who promised to consult with victims for any decision to grant early release any of those convicted by the ICTR for their part in the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
To date, 14 key genocidaires convincted by ICTR have walked free, and some have had their sentences reduced, the newspaper said
CU/abj/APA