APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – Fulgence Kayishema, one of the fugitives wanted for their role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has been arrested in Paarl, South Africa, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) confirmed Thursday.
Kayishema was arrested on Wednesday, May 24 in a joint operation by the IRMCT’s Office of the Prosecutor and South African authorities. He had a $5m bounty on him.
The former head of the judicial police in the former Kibuye prefecture has been on the run for more than 20 years.
In 2012, the UN tribunal ruled that upon his arrest, Kayishema would be transferred to Rwanda for trial.
Kayishema is alleged to have orchestrated the killing of approximately 2000 Tutsi refugees – women, men, children and elderly – at the Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. He has been at large since 2001.
“Fulgence Kayishema was a fugitive for more than 20 years. His arrest ensures that he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes,” IRMCT Chief Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, said.
“Genocide is the most serious crime known to humankind. The international community has committed to ensure that its perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished. This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and that justice will be done, no matter how long it takes,” Brammertz said.
Kayishema was indicted by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 2001 and charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity for killings and other crimes committed in Kivumu Commune, Kibuye Prefecture during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
CU/abj/APA