On 29 August 2008, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) quashed the sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment against former Rwandan army officer Tharcisse Muvunyi, ruling that there was insufficient evidence for his conviction on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. 

However, pursuant to Rule 118 (C) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Muvunyi will be re-tried for direct and public incitement to commit genocide, based on a speech he made in Gikore Trade Centre in Butare at the end of May 1994. Tharcisse Muvunyi – a former Lieutenant-Colonel in the Rwandan Armed Forces – is accused of participating in several public meetings during the months of April and May 1994, during which he and other local government officials allegedly called on the Hutu majority population to kill Tutsi civilians.

More than 100,000 people were killed in Butare during the 1994 genocide. In total, some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered over 100 days.

Retrial first of its kind

The date for the partial retrial for Muvunyi, who has already spent over eight years in custody, will be announced by the Registry at a later date. The Judges have ordered the accused to be remanded in custody pending his retrial.

This decision is the first of its kind in the ICTR’s history.

To date, the ICTR has delivered judgements in 32 cases, including five acquittals. In mid-September, the UN General Assembly will discuss the possibility of extending the Tribunal’s mandate, which currently sets 2010 as the deadline for the completion of all appeals.

Tharcisse Muvunyi
Appeals Chamber Judgement
Press release