There will be no verdict for the trial in The Hague tribunal on Rwanda for Félicien Kabuga. The judges ruled this Wednesday, June 7: Félicien Kabuga presented as the alleged financier of the genocide in Rwanda against the Tutsis in 1994, is unfit to stand trial for health reasons. A failure of justice for Lewis Mudge, director for Central Africa of the NGO Human Rights Watch.
RFI: How do you react to this announcement?
Lewis Mudge: It is the court’s decision and of course the Court has the right to decide if someone is fit to continue a trial. But we find this very regrettable. The arrest of Félicien Kabuga and the start of his trial was really a very important step towards establishing who is responsible for the planning and execution of the genocide in Rwanda. And Félicien Kabuga is accused of being among the great leaders of the planning of the genocide.
The court specifies that it is looking for an alternative solution that resembles a trial as much as possible, but without the possibility of a conviction. Already, we imagine that it is a real blow for the victims, for the families of the victims…
That’s it. Félicien Kabuga is accused of being one of the masterminds of the genocide. If, after his arrest, there is not even a possibility for him to spend time in prison, it is a failure. He won because he avoided being convicted and that is a failure in terms of justice, in our view.
What will be the consequences of this decision on the history of the genocide and on the understanding that we have of this history of the genocide?
There are quite a few things that were already published on Félicien Kabuga, including the Human Rights Watch report. So it was really an opportunity for him first of all to confess and apologize, or else to deny and give another version of the facts.
Then, this is the first time in thirteen years that I have worked at Human Rights Watch that I have seen this alternative mechanism. It’s new. So I don’t know if there is a precedent in this country. But since Kabuga was really one of the big fish, it’s unfortunate that he doesn’t run the risk of being condemned.
>> To read also: Investigation – Genocide in Rwanda: the underside of the hunt for Félicien Kabuga