Genocide suspect Micomyiza finally extradited from Sweden

Genocide suspect Jean-Paul Micomyiza, 49, finally arrived in Kigali, Rwanda early Wednesday, April 27, after being extradited by Sweden. The National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) spokesperson Faustin Nkusi issued a statement commending Swedish judicial authorities for the move. The government of Sweden earlier this month gave the green light to the extradition of Micomyiza, to Rwanda where he is accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. This came three months after a top Swedish Court on December 21, 2021, found no reason why the Rwandan arrested in the Nordic country in 2020 should not be extradited to Kigali where he is wanted for crimes he allegedly committed during the 1994 Genocide. At the time, reports in Swedish media indicate that the government of the Nordic country decided to grant Kigali’s request for Micomyiza’s extradition on March 31. Micomyiza is accused of leading a militia and mutilating, murdering and raping during the genocide in 1994. He was detained on November 17, 2020. In December 2021, reports from Sweden indicated that the Supreme Court there saw no legal obstacle to extraditing Micomyiza to Rwanda. His lawyers, Thomas Bodström and Hanna Larsson Rampe were against the courts ruling, claiming that the legal system in Rwanda has serious shortcomings, a claim advanced by most defenders of suspected mass murderers elsewhere. The suspect has lived in Gothenburg, a major city in Sweden situated off the Göta Älv River on the countrys west coast, for 15 years. He was arrested as a result of Rwandas request for his extradition, on suspicion of involvement in the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. Micomyiza applied but was denied citizenship in Sweden because he is politically active. During the Genocide committed against Tutsi in 1994, Micomyiza was a second year student at the then National University of Rwanda, in the Faculty of Applied Sciences. As a university student, he was also a member of a committee called Comité de Crise that was instrumental in committing the Genocide.

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Genocide suspect Micomyiza finally extradited from Sweden