Genocide suspect faces deportation from the US

Media reports in the United States indicate that another Genocide suspect faces possible deportation if she loses a court case that commenced yesterday.The jury selection of witnesses began Wednesday in the case of USA vs. Beatrice Munyenyezi.Beatrice Munyenyezi, 42, is accused of lying about her involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi when applying for American citizenship. She went on trial in a New Hampshire federal court.Munyenyezi is the wife of Arsene Shalom Ntahobari, a former militia leader, who, together with his mother, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, were convicted of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwandan (ICTR) and sentenced to life in prison.Mother and son were convicted for having unleashed militias on innocent Tutsis in the former Butare town. Prosecutors say Munyenyezi was a member of the extremist group during the Genocide. Federal prosecutors who visited Rwanda to investigate the case say she ordered rapes and murders during the Genocide.Munyenyezi who is now a U.S. citizen allegedly committed immigration fraud in 1995 by denying her alleged involvement in mass killings, rape and kidnappings in 1994. Prosecutors reportedly charge that Munyenyezi intentionally lied on a refugee questionnaire and naturalization documents about her role in the Genocide, so as to enter the US and later obtain citizenship. The suspect allegedly associated with Interahamwe militia groups that set up roadblocks and targeted fleeing Tutsi.She was indicted in June 2010.Munyenyezi’s case was reportedly investigated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aloke Chakravarty and Jeffrey Auerhahn from the District of Massachusetts.It is alleged that during the trial of Nyiramasuhuko and her son in February 2006, Munyenyezi was called as a defence witness and gave false testimony.Munyenyezi allegedly participated in the Genocide in many ways, including participating in and speaking at meetings and public rallies of the MRND and Interahamwe.Her attorney, Mark Howard, has reportedly been to Rwanda to interview witnesses and acquire firsthand research in preparation for the case.Both sides are expected to draw from a long witness list in Rwanda, including those currently incarcerated. The US last year deported two Genocide suspects, Jean Marie Vianney Mudahinyuka (alias Zuzu) and Marie-Claire Mukeshimana, in January and December 2011, respectively.

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Genocide suspect faces deportation from the US