Joseph Nzirorera
Joseph Nzirorera (1950 - 1 July 2010[1][2]) was a Rwandan politician and accused génocidaires who was arrested by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for his role in the Rwandan genocide.
Background
[edit]Nzirorera was born in 1950 in Busogo, Ruhengeri Prefecture. He received a degree in civil engineering from the University of Butare in 1975.[3]
Career
[edit]Nzirorema served as national secretary of the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND) and as speaker of the Rwandan Parliament. He also served as Minister of Industry, Mines and Handicraft.[4] Nzirorera was a member of the Akazu, an elite circle of Hutu extremists close to President Juvénal Habyarimana and First Lady Agathe Habyarimana.[5]
Arrest and legal proceedings
[edit]Nzirorera was arrested by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in July 1998. In a joint trial with Édouard Karemera and Mathieu Ngirumpatse, Nzirorera was accused of conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, genocide, complicity in genocide, as well as crimes against humanity.[6]
In 2003, he was described by expert witness Nkiko Nsengimana as the "leader of the Interahamwe".[7] In 2004, he was accused of having asked the Interahamwe to kill a Tutsi child in Busogo, Ruhengeri Prefecture in April 1994.[8]
Death
[edit]On 1 July 2010, Nzirorera died at the age of 59 while awaiting trial.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "ICTR-01-77-I: The Prosecutor v. Joseph Nzirorera Confirmation of the Indictment" (PDF). ICTR. 2001-12-13. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
- ^ "ICTR-98-44-T: The Prosecutor v. Édouard Karemera, Matthieu [sic] Ngirumpatse and Joseph Nzirorera Decision Relating to Registrar's Submission Notifying the Demise of Accused Joseph Nzirorera" (PDF). ICTR. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
- ^ "Box 2: Joseph Nzirorera, the President's "creation" and his "Icarus flight"" (PDF). Rwanda: From War to Genocide. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "Rwanda tribunal confirms a sentence for genocide and starts two more trials | UN News". United Nations. 2005-09-20. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "Former Akazu member arrested for crimes against humanity | United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda". United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. 2001-07-27. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ Riley, Ann (July 2, 2010). "Rwanda ex-official dies while facing genocide trial at ICTR". Jurist. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ "Akazu Was The Mastermind Of The Genocide, Expert Witness Say". JusticeInfo.net. 2003-05-07. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "Rwanda: Nzirorera Asked Interahamwe to Kill a Child". AllAfrica. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "Accused Joseph Nzirorera Dies | United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda". United Nations | International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-11.