The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

The United Nations Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to “prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and neighbouring States, between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994”. The Tribunal is located in Arusha, Tanzania, and has offices in Kigali, Rwanda. Its Appeals Chamber is located in The Hague, Netherlands.

Since it opened in 1995, the Tribunal has indicted 93 individuals whom it considered responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda in 1994. Those indicted include high-ranking military and government officials, politicians, businessmen, as well as religious, militia, and media leaders.

With its sister international tribunals and courts, the ICTR has played a pioneering role in the establishment of a credible international criminal justice system, producing a substantial body of jurisprudence on genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, as well as forms of individual and superior responsibility.

The ICTR is the first ever international tribunal to deliver verdicts in relation to genocide, and the first to interpret the definition of genocide set forth in the 1948 Geneva Conventions. It also is the first international tribunal to define rape in international criminal law and to recognise rape as a means of perpetrating genocide.

The ICTR’s formally closed on 31st December 2015. 

Content Source : https://unictr.irmct.org/en/tribunal

Bagosora et al.

Case Title: The Prosecutor v Théoneste BAGOSORA, Gratien KABILIGI, Aloys NTABAKUZE, Anatole NSENGIYUMVA

Case Citation: ICTR-98-41

Charges:

Status: The Trial Chamber found Bagosora, Ntabakuze and Nsengiyumva guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and serious violations of common Article 3 to the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II.

Sentence: Théoneste Bagosora’s sentence to 35 years’ imprisonment and Anatole Nsengiyumva’s sentence to 15 years’ imprisonment affirmed on appeal on 14 December 2011. Aloys Ntabakuze sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment on 8 May 2012. Gratien Kabiligi Acquitted on 18 December 2008. 

Link: https://unictr.irmct.org/en/cases/ictr-98-41

Kayishema et al.

Case Title: The Prosecutor v. Clément Kayishema and Obed Ruzindana

Case Citation: ICTR-95-1

Charges: the Prosecutor did not enter charges of sexual violence 

Status: The Trial Chamber found both accused guilty of genocide.

Sentence: Clément Kayishema’s sentence to life imprisonment affirmed on appeal, Obed Ruzindana’s sentence to 25 years’ imprisonment affirmed on appeal on 1 June 2001. 

Link: https://unictr.irmct.org/en/cases/ictr-95-1