June 11, 2010
Kigali: A Finnish court handed down its verdict on Friday in a long-running and quite unprecedented case relating to the 1994 Tutsi Genocide finding Baptist preacher Francois Bazaramba to have overseen the slaughter of Tutsis.
The defendant, 59-year-old Baptist pastor Francois Bazaramba, a resident of Porvoo (eastern Finland) who has been remanded in custody since April 2007, was found guilty of involvement in leading mass killings in his village in Nyakizu – southern Rwanda, and he was given a life sentence.
In the view of the court, Bazaramba orchestrated attacks that led to the deaths of numerous people. Court ruled that the preacher had intended to "destroy in whole or part the Rwandan Tutsis as a group" during three months in 1994.
In addition, the court found that Bazaramba had provided for the acquisition and distribution of materials used in the torching of properties owned by members of the Tutsi tribe, and had urged Hutus to burn down these buildings.
The court ruled that Bazaramba had directly ordered or urged others to kill five Tutsis.
In the original charges laid against him, Bazaramba was accused of fifteen counts of murder, meaning that in ten cases the charges were dismissed.
He was also acquitted of charges of providing training with a view to carrying out killings, and of acquiring weapons.
On the other hand, the court agreed with the prosecution claims that Bazaramba also organised roadblocks and night patrols to oppress the Tutsi population.
Bazaramba has denied the charges, and argued that the case was one of a witch-hunt by the current Rwandan administration.
His defence counsel demanded during the trial that the court should strike out wholly or in part the evidence provided in statements by nineteen prosecution witnesses, on the grounds that the witnesses had been subjected to torture.
The court found that in the case of two witnesses there were factors that led one to believe their statements had been made as a result of torture or duress.
The court ignored these statements in its judgement.
The trial, which has attracted widespread attention and cost more than EUR 1 million, began in Porvoo more than a year ago, and during the course of the hearings members of the court twice travelled to Africa, to Rwanda and Tanzania, in order to hear witness testimony.
The hearings were concluded in late April of this year.
Bazaramba settled in Finland in 2003.
Finnish law adheres to the "universal jurisdiction" principle, allowing for the prosecution of crimes against humanity wherever they are committed.
Rwanda originally asked the Finnish authorities to extradite the defendant to Rwanda, but the Nordic country turned down the request, saying he might not be assured of getting a fair trial there.
Bazaramba's defence team have told news agencies he will appeal against the sentence.
Additional files from HELSINGIN SANOMAT and Associated Press
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