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February 23rd, 2009
Rwanda has said it is disappointed by the decision by the Finnish Judiciary not to extradite Mr Francois Bazaramba, a genocide suspect, to Rwanda.
Mr Bazaramba, a former pastor at a Baptist church in Rwanda, who has been held by authorities in Finland since April 2007, is suspected of masterminding the brutal killings of more than 5,000 people at the Baptist mission in former Butare Prefecture.
Rwandan authorities had requested that Mr Bazaramba be extradited to face charges for his alleged role in the planning and carrying out the 1994 genocide. This came after Finland and Rwandan authorities recently finalised a joint investigation into his role in the genocide.
Serious crimes
According to a statement issued by the Rwanda Government over the weekend, the extensive investigations carried out in Rwanda found overwhelming evidence to support the charges of genocide and mass murder, against Mr Bazaramba and his co-accused, who are still at large.
“Most of these killings took place at Nyantanga village and particularly at the Baptist mission where he was a pastor, and at the neighbouring Cyahinda Parish, where more than 20,000 people were killed,” the statement said.
“Francois Bazaramba is accused of extremely serious crimes that cannot go unpunished. Therefore, at very least, he should be tried expeditiously in Finland,” it added.
Finland, however, announced on Friday that it would not extradite him because it fears he will not get a fair trial.
source,nation.ke