Kigali – A Rwandan genocide suspect who has been living in Sweden for more than a decade was extradited on Wednesday to his home country where he is expected to face trial over his alleged role in the 1994 massacres.
Jean Paul Micomyiza, who lost his fight against extradition in December, was in handcuffs as he disembarked from a RwandAir plane and was immediately taken away by two policemen.
Micomyiza, aka Mico, is accused of involvement in the slaughter of about 800 000 people – mostly members of Rwanda’s minority Tutsi population but also Hutus – when he was a university student.
Earlier today, genocide fugitive Micomyiza Jean Paul was extradited from Sweden to Rwanda for his role in #GenocideAgainstTutsi. This is to remind other genocidaires roaming around the world that their turn is also soon. JUSTICE✊ #Kwibuka28 #RwandaWorks pic.twitter.com/pfOdfWLJIV
— Ellen Kampire ?? (@ellen_kampire) April 27, 2022
The suspect, now aged about 50, was a member of a committee “whose mission was to search and identify Tutsi civilians to be killed and thus played a big role in the genocide against the Tutsi”, the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) said in a statement.
NPPA spokesman Faustin Nkusi told AFP that the authorities would start preparing an indictment for a trial for Micomyiza after various procedures were completed.
The prosecution said it commended Sweden, where Micomyiza had been living since 2007, for its cooperation and its “contribution to the global effort to fight impunity”.
Sweden’s justice ministry confirmed the decision to extradite Micomyiza, but refused to provide further details about his life in the country.
Three Swedes of Rwandan origin have been sentenced to life in prison for taking part in the genocide.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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