Police arrest exiled Rwandan genocide convict

pulse

December 8, 2016 6:26 PM

It was not immediately clear if or when Murekezi, now a businessman, would be extradited to Rwanda.

The 1994 Rwandan genocide was a four-month slaughter that left 800,000 people dead. It was triggered by the shooting down of the plane of then president Juvenal Habyarimana in April 1994

Malawian police on Thursday said they had arrested a Rwandan who was convicted of genocide crimes back home but has been living in the country for 13 years.

"Yes, we effected the arrest of Vincent Murekezi today on instructions from the director of public prosecutions," police chief spokesman James Kadazera told AFP.

Murekezi was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia after being found guilty of genocide, according to a Rwandan official source cited by the Malawian media on Thursday.

Kadazera confirmed that Murekezi, who has been living in Malawi since 2003 and holds a Malawian passport, was wanted in Rwanda on "genocide issues".

The 1994 Rwandan genocide was a four-month slaughter that left 800,000 people dead. It was triggered by the shooting down of the plane of then president Juvenal Habyarimana in April 1994.

Dalitso Kabambe, a top official in Malawi's foreign affairs ministry, said in a statement that his country had received "several requests for extradition" from Rwanda, but was not sure whether Murekezi's name was amongst them.

A Malawi immigration spokesman, Joseph Chauwa was last month quoted by a local newspaper saying Murekezi had "met all the requirements for the awarding of citizenship and a travel document".

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