It is the former British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone who famously said in an 1868 speech that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’, a maxim which means that legal redress that does not come in a timely manner is as anything but justice. It’s ironic that, 153 years after Gladstone pronounced those remarkable five words, his own country finds in a similar situation with five fugitives who are wanted for their alleged role in a genocide, the gravest crime against humanity. The United Kingdom continues to offer a safe haven to five men who are accused of playing in a key role in the slaughter of thousands of innocent people during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The men; Dr Vincent Bajinya, Célestin Mutabaruka, Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo and Célestin Ugirashebuja all held influential positions, which they allegedly used to mastermind and oversee genocide crimes. The UK government has since 2007 been aware of the grave crimes for which the fugitives are wanted back home but has made little to no effort to help bring them to book. Many survivors have since died without seeing justice dispensed in relation to these suspects – who bizarrely remain free to roam British streets. While courts in the UK have previously ruled that the fugitives may not receive a fair trial in Rwanda – despite the fact that many European countries, as well as North America and a UN tribunal have all extradited or transferred cases to Rwanda – the former has also failed to try the fugitives itself. This has had far-reaching implications. For instance, failure to hold these men accountable for their alleged crimes is believed to have served to embolden Genocide deniers who are keen on manipulating anything they can lay their hands on to advance their revisionist agenda. This has inflicted more pain on the survivors and undermined truth around the Genocide against the Tutsi. Nonetheless, all hope is not lost. Several members of the UK House of Lords, keen to see justice served, recently announced the formation of a team with the mandate to urge their government to bring to justice the fugitives in question, a move that has been welcomed by both survivors and the Rwandan government. It’s time the UK finally stood up for truth and justice and victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi and join countries that have chosen to embrace their responsibilities and commitments under international law and help bring perpetrators to account. Twenty-seven years after the Genocide against the Tutsi and more than 14 years since the fugitives in the United Kingdom were first located there and the host government notified of their presence, William E. Gladstone’s words could not ring truer.
