The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, composed of Judge Theodor Meron, presiding, Judge Mehmet Güney, Judge Fausto Pocar, Judge Andrésia Vaz, and Judge Carmel Agius, today heard oral arguments in the appeals lodged by Callixte Kalimanzira and the Prosecution against the Judgement rendered by Trial Chamber III on 22 June 2009.

The Trial Chamber found Kalimanzira guilty of instigating and aiding and abetting genocide at the Butare-Gisagara roadblock around 22 April 1994 and for aiding and abetting genocide at Kabuye hill on 23 April 1994 and at the inauguration of Élie Ndayambaje as bourgmestre of Muganza Commune on 22 June 1994. In addition, it found Kalimanzira guilty for direct and public incitement to commit genocide at the Jaguar roadblock in mid to late April 1994, at the Kajyanama roadblock in late-April 1994, at the Gisagara marketplace at the end of May 1994, and at the Nyabisagara football field in late-May or early June 1994. Kalimanzira was sentenced to a single term of 30 years of imprisonment.

Kalimanzira contends that the Trial Chamber committed a number of errors of fact and law, and accordingly requests the Appeals Chamber to overturn his convictions. The Prosecution requests that the Appeals Chamber enter a conviction for ordering or committing genocide in relation to the events at the Butare-Gisagara roadblock and Kabuye hill and increase Kalimanzira’s sentence to life-imprisonment.

Kalimanzira was born in 1953 in Muganza Commune, Butare Prefecture, Rwanda. He joined the Ministry of Interior in January 1992 and served as directeur de cabinet, the ministry’s second most senior official, from September of that year through to the relevant events of 1994.