Impunity Stops Here
Almost 20 years have passed since the Rwandan genocide, but finally two key perpetrators are facing consequences. Matthieu Ngirumpatse and Edouard Karemera had their day in court – and now their lives in prison.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda – a court established in Tanzania by United Nations resolution in November 1994 – has found them both guilty of a “joint criminal enterprise” to commit genocide. Ngirumpatse held the Chief of Party office in 1994 when the killing began, and Karemera was his deputy. Both played key roles in stockpiling weapons and supporting rape as an instrument of war. Each received a life sentence. They had been in prison awaiting trial since 1998.
The Rwanda genocide took place in 1994, and an estimated 800,000 people were killed in just over three months.
