Jun 24
2009
9:52 AM

Ex-minister gets 30 years in Rwanda genocide

On Monday the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda sentenced former Rwandan interior minister Callixte Kalimanzira to 30 years imprisonment for his role in the death of thousands of Tutsi refugees in country's 1994 genocide. The 1994 genocide was led by members of Rwanda's former army and extremist Hutu militias, known as the Interahamwe. The victims were members of the Tutsi minority and politically moderate Hutus. The court found Kalimanzira guilty of genocide and direct and public incitement to commit genocide because he used his position as a government official to lure thousands of Tutsi refugees to Kabuye hill and "provide[d] armed reinforcements" to attack and kill them.

The ICTR was established to try genocide suspects for crimes occurring during the 1994 Rwandan between Hutus and Tutsis in which approximately 800,000 people, primarily Tutsis, died.  Thus far the ICTR has delivered judgments on 38 people. Six of the judgments were acquittals.

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