Rwandan academic gets life for genocide
Publish date: 17 July 2017
Issue Number: 734
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: General
A prominent Rwandan academic was sentenced to life imprisonment at the weekend after being convicted of genocide. Prosecutor-General Joh Mutangana confirmed that Leopold Munyakazi will be held in solitary confinement in Kigali. He was accused of playing a key role in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide during which 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. He denied the charges. A report on The Seattle Times site notes that Munyakazi fled Rwanda in 2004 and sought refuge in the US where he taught at a Baltimore university until he was suspended in 2008 following his indictment by the Rwandan Government.
