from PHYLLIS BIRORI in Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda Bureau
KIGALI, (CAJ News) – AN envoy has urged nations hosting alleged perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to prosecute or extradite them and ensure full accountability.
Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, alluded specifically to the more than 1 000 fugitive génocidaires from Rwanda.
“Only when all perpetrators have been held to account will we be able to uphold the expectations that all victims rightly possess – that their voices are heard and their suffering acknowledged, and that there is justice for the crimes committed against their loved ones,” she said.
“In the case of genocide – the gravest of crimes, the crime of crimes – for targeting a specific, protected group with the intention to destroy it in whole or in part, is the gravest international violation,” Nderitu said.
The adviser reiterated the need to promote healing and reconciliation once justice prevailed.
Rwanda is marking 30 years of the genocide that occurred in the East African country.
It is estimated up to 800 000 people, mainly the Tutsi, were killed over a period of 100 days.
– CAJ News