Eye For Eye? Top Funder Of Rwandan Genocide Félicien Kabuga Dies In Custody

By Swift Reporter

Félicien Kabuga, the Rwandan businessman accused of playing a central role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has died in detention in The Hague, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) announced.

Kabuga, who was facing charges of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity including persecution, extermination and murder, died while hospitalized in the Netherlands.

The Medical Officer of the United Nations Detention Unit immediately notified authorities, and Dutch officials have begun standard legal procedures and investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The President of the Mechanism, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, also ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances of his death, appointing Judge Alphons Orie to lead the investigation.

Kabuga, once considered one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, had long been accused of financing and supporting the genocide that claimed the lives of more than a million Tutsi, in Rwanda in 1994.

He was notably accused of using his wealth and influence to fund extremist militias and of backing the notorious Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), which broadcast hate propaganda and incitement during the genocide.

An arrest warrant against him was originally issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), and after evading justice for more than two decades, he was arrested near Paris, France, on May 16, 2020.

He was later transferred to The Hague branch of the Mechanism on October 26, 2020, where his trial officially began on September 29, 2022.

However, proceedings were halted in September 2023 after judges ruled that Kabuga was no longer fit to stand trial due to serious health concerns and advanced dementia.

The Trial Chamber indefinitely stayed the proceedings and ordered that he remain in detention at the United Nations Detention Unit while discussions continued over his provisional release to a country willing to receive him.

At the time of his death, Kabuga was still awaiting transfer under that provisional release arrangement.

His death closes one of the final major genocide prosecution cases linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, but without a final judicial verdict on the charges against him.

The IRMCT, which succeeded the ICTR and ICTY, said further updates would be provided following the official inquiry.