Mbarushimana’s extradition okayed

The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a decision by the Danish Court to extradite Emmanuel Mbarushimana to Rwanda to stand trial over his alleged involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.A former school teacher, 50-year-old Mbarushimana, has lived in Denmark with his wife and four children for about 13 years. In February 2012, Rwanda filed an extraction request asking Denmark to extradite the Genocide suspect.Mbarushimana challenged the extradiction bid in court using the available appellate options.He exhausted all judicial avenues, including the highest court, the Supreme Court; which approved his extradition in November last year.Mbarushimana, who claims he would not get a fair trial in Rwanda appealed the decision in the France-based European Court of Human Rights which also upheld previous decisions last week.“The National Public Prosecution Authority of the Republic of Rwanda welcomes the European Court of Human Rights for this decision that approves Denmark Court decision to extradite Mbarushimana and the continued trust of Rwanda’s Judiciary in delivering justice and fair trial,” the prosecution spokesperson, Alain Mukuralinda, said in a statement.The statement adds: “Arrangements of his transfer will be made and in a few months time, Mbarushimana will arrive in Rwanda.”Mbarushimana is alleged to have organised and participated in the killing of hundreds of Tutsi in Kabuye, Dahwe, Gisagara, Ndora, Twarubona and the surrounding areas, in current day Gisagara District in the Southern Province. At the time, he was an inspector of schools in Muganza commune, former Butare prefecture.According to the prosecution, he is charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity (murder and extermination) and other crimes committed in Rwanda in 1994.If he is extradited, he will be the second Genocide suspect to be brought back to Rwanda from Scandinavian countries after Charles Bandora, who lost battles against his extradition from Norway. Bandora arrived in Kigali in March last year.