The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, composed of Judge Fausto Pocar, presiding, Judge Mohamed Shahabuddeen, Judge Mehmet Güney, Judge Liu Daqun and Judge Theodor Meron, today heard oral arguments regarding the appeal by François Karera against the Judgement rendered by Trial Chamber I on 7 December 2007.

The Trial Chamber found Karera guilty of genocide, extermination as a crime against humanity, and murder as a crime against humanity in relation to attacks against and the murder of Tutsis in the communes of Nyarugenge, Rushashi and Kanzenze, and sentenced Karera to imprisonment for the remainder of his life.

Karera alleges that the Trial Chamber committed numerous errors of law and fact and accordingly requests the Appeals Chamber to overturn his convictions and to order his release or, in the alternative, to order a retrial or to quash his life sentence and substitute it with an appropriate sentence. The Prosecution opposes the relief sought and asks the Appeals Chamber to dismiss all grounds of the appeal.

The Appellant was born in 1938, in Huro secteur, Musasa commune, Kigali préfecture. For fifteen years he was the bourgmestre of Nyarugenge commune. On 9 November 1990, the Appellant was appointed sous-préfet of Kigali prefecture,and on or around 17 April 1994, he was appointed by the Interim Government as préfet of Kigali préfecture.