Arusha, Tanzania: The U.N. Court trying suspects of the 1994 Rwanda genocide found a female former government minister and her son guilty of war crimes on Friday and gave both life sentences, marking the first time a woman has been convicted of genocide.
Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, Rwanda's former minister for family and women affairs, and her son, Arsene Ntahobali, a former militia leader, were both found guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape.
The court found that the mother and son helped to abduct hundreds of ethnic Tutsis who were assaulted, raped and killed in the southern region of Butare.
Nyiramasuhuko is the only woman to be charged before the special genocide court. Hanna Brollowski, an international law researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Instuut in The Hague, said she is the first woman convicted anywhere in the world of genocide.
At least 500,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered during Rwanda's 100-day genocide.
Butare was among the last strongholds to have fallen to the killings. The court established that between April and June 1994 the mother and son, with assistance of the extremist Hutu militia known as the Interahamwe, went to Butare and abducted hundreds of ethnic Tutsis.
"Many were physically assaulted, raped and taken away to various places in Butare, where they were killed. During the course of these repeated attacks on vulnerable civilians, both Nyiramasuhuko and Ntahobali ordered killings. They also ordered rapes. Ntahobali further committed rapes and Nyiramasuhuko aided and abetted rapes," said the judgment read out by presiding Judge William Sekule.
The court on Friday also sentenced to life in prison a former mayor, Elie Ndayambaje. Three others in the joint trial were given sentences ranging between 25 and 35 years. The court said all six would be credited with time served.
The judgments come 10 years after trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda began on June 12, 2001, and 16 years after some of the accused were arrested. The court is based in Tanzania, which borders Rwanda.
The proceedings lasted more than 700 days and the court heard from nearly 180 witnesses.
Though Nyiramasukuko is the first woman to be convicted of genocide, she is not the only woman to be charged with genocide.
Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic was indicted in 2000 for charges including genocide for her role in Serb atrocities in the 1992-95 Bosnian war. The genocide charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain that saw her convicted by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in 2002 of persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, a crime against humanity.
Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, Rwanda's former minister for family and women affairs, and her son, Arsene Ntahobali, a former militia leader, were both found guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape.
The court found that the mother and son helped to abduct hundreds of ethnic Tutsis who were assaulted, raped and killed in the southern region of Butare.
At least 500,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered during Rwanda's 100-day genocide.
Advertisement
"Many were physically assaulted, raped and taken away to various places in Butare, where they were killed. During the course of these repeated attacks on vulnerable civilians, both Nyiramasuhuko and Ntahobali ordered killings. They also ordered rapes. Ntahobali further committed rapes and Nyiramasuhuko aided and abetted rapes," said the judgment read out by presiding Judge William Sekule.
Advertisement
The judgments come 10 years after trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda began on June 12, 2001, and 16 years after some of the accused were arrested. The court is based in Tanzania, which borders Rwanda.
Advertisement
Though Nyiramasukuko is the first woman to be convicted of genocide, she is not the only woman to be charged with genocide.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Bangladesh Tribunal Begins 'Genocide' Probe Against Sheikh Hasina, 9 Others Colombia Says Will Suspend Coal Sales To Israel "Until Gaza Genocide Stops" Spreading False Narrative Of Genocide Over 2009 Incident: Sri Lanka On Canada "Trusted Mamata Banerjee But...": Father Of Murdered Doctor To NDTV Video: Delhi Man Dies After AC Falls On His Head From 2nd Floor UK Girl Discovers Dinosaur Footprints On Beach Walk: "Cool And Exciting" Blinken Arrives In Israel As Netanyahu Blames Hamas For No Gaza Truce Yet India Rankings 2024: Explore Top 10 Pharmacy Colleges Japanese Man Who Lost His Wife In 2011 Tsunami Still Searches For Her Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.