Former Rwandan military leader, Lieutenant Colonel Tharcisse Muvunyi, was today transferred to the Detention Facility of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha from London, after dropping his appeal against the transfer earlier this month.

Muvunyi, (47) who was Commander of the Ecole des Sous Officiers (ESO - a military academy) in Butare, will shortly appear before a trial chamber of the Tribunal to answer to five counts charging him with genocide or, in the alternative, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity, including rape.

The Tribunal has thanked the British Government for the close cooperation and assistance it extended to the Tribunal in the arrest, detention and transfer of the accused.

Muvunyi’s transfer brings to 42 the number of accused persons detained in Arusha. Innocent Sagahutu, is detained in Denmark awaiting transfer to Arusha, while Jean Kambanda, the former Prime Minister, already sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, is detained in The Hague, The Netherlands is awaiting transfer to another country where he will serve his sentence, (see press release No 244).

Before the Chambers

For the first time all four Chambers of the ICTR have been sitting in Arusha today.

The Appeals Chamber, which is based in the Hague, has been sitting in Arusha to hear the appeals of Clément Kayishema, former Prefect of Kibuye and Obed Ruzindana a businessman against their convictions for genocide and crimes against humanity. On 21 May 1999, Kayishema was sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of his life and Ruzindana to imprisonment for twenty-five years.

Trial Chamber I is continuing to hear witnesses in the Media Case in which three accused are charged, in particular, with inciting ethnic hatred through the media (see press release No 245).

Trial Chamber II held a status conference in the case of Juvénal Kajelijeli. A status conference is intended to enable the Prosecution and the Defence to prepare the trial in the interests of efficiency.

The judges of Trial Chamber III have continued to hear evidence from Prosecution witnesses in the Cyangugu Case.