A 50-year-old man, who has been a resident of Denmark since 2001 and was arrested on charges of genocide in 2010, has been ordered to stand trial in his home country of Rwanda.
The former school inspector, who has not been named by Danish media for legal reasons, was arrested at his home in Kirke Sonnerup in December 2010 on charges of acts of genocide during the 100-day Tutsi massacres that took place in Rwanda in 1994. The Supreme Court in April ruled that the man should stand trial for genocide on Danish soil, but the Justice Ministry has now decided to meet the Rwandan government’s original request and extradite him to stand trial in Rwanda.
Danish authorities have already made several visits to Rwanda in order to collect evidence and gather witness testimonials for the trial, which was planned to take place between September and December of this year. The authorities had also planned to fly close to 50 witnesses into Denmark from Rwanda to take part in the trial.
The Justic Ministry explained that it had thoroughly examined the Rwandan plea for extradition and believed the accused would be granted a lawful trial in which he will receive fit representation, and that any eventual imprisonment would meet international standards.
The man, who was granted Danish asylum in 2001, denies that he had any involvement in the ethnic cleansings that took place in May and April of 1994. He has instructed his lawyer, Bjørn Elmquist, to appeal against the Justice Ministry's decision on the grounds that he will receive an unfair trial in Rwanda and that his life will be at risk.
