Armenian National Committee of America
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Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE
December 20, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA WELCOMES CONVICTION OF RWANDAN GENOCIDE MASTERMIND
— Col. Theoneste Bagosora Receives Life in Prison, 14 Years After
Genocidal Acts
Washington, DC- The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA),
this week, hailed a United National court decision sentencing
Rwanda Genocide mastermind, Col. Theoneste Bagosora to life in
prison. Major Aloys Ntabakuze and Lieutenant Colonel Anatole
Nsengiyumva were also convicted of crimes ranging from genocide to
crimes against humanity and war crimes.
"As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, Col. Bagosora’s conviction
sends a powerful message that there is no escape from a genocidal
past," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "The world
will continue to follow the ICTR’s efforts, as other perpetrators
of the Rwandan are placed on trial."
Following intense judicial scrutiny, Col. Bagosora, an ethnic Hutu,
was found guilty of ordering the Hutu militia to slaughter ethnic
Tutsis civilians. The U.N. established the Tanzania-based
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) tribunal in late
1994. Bagosora was captured in neighboring Camaroon in 1997 and
stood trial beginning 2002. After hearing from some 242 witnesses,
the court began its deliberation in June 1, 2007.
"After 14 years of waiting it is a relief to see a genocide
mastermind like Bagosora receive a life the sentence that he
deserves for his role in the 1994 genocide," commented Jacqueline
Murekatete, Rwanda genocide survivor and human rights activist.
"For survivors, this is certainly a step towards justice, but more
needs to be done by the ICTR. Several other masterminds still
await trial in Arusha and many more are fugitives who still enjoy
safe havens around the world. I hope ICTR will also bring justice
to these individuals for the sake of the million murdered, for the
survivors, and for humanity at large."
At the age of 9, Murekatete lost her parents, six siblings, and a
grandmother during the Rwandan genocide. In the U.S.. she founded
Jacqueline’s Human Rights Corner, a genocide prevention education
program, which has helped educate thousands on the Rwandan Genocide
and genocide prevention.
The Rwandan Genocide claimed the lives of close to 1,000,000
Tutsi’s during the months of April to June of 1994. Following a
plane crash that took the life of Rwandan President Juvenal
Habyarimana of on April 6th, Hutu extremists began killing countless
Tutsis. Despite pleas to the international community, the crimes
continued until a Tutsi rebel movement, the Rwandan Patriotic Front
(RPF) overthrew the Hutu government and seized power. For years
following the Rwandan genocide, Bagosora denied responsibility for
the crimes he committed.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress