Léon Mugesera arrives in Rwanda today
It’s official. Léon Mugesera, the man who has dramatically fought a legal battle against deportation to Rwanda, for nearly two decades, is finally on a Kigali-bound plane. The 59-year old Genocide suspect was put on the plane by Canadian authorities from Trudeau Airport, Montreal, last night, just hours after losing his latest bid against a longstanding deportation order.
The development was confirmed by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, through her Twitter account, shortly after mid night, local time.
She twitted: “Leon Mugesera is now air bound for Kigali! Thank ordinary people in Canada who saw through confusion in international legal labyrinth and said “he must go”.”
Earlier, the minister had twitted: “Leon Mugesera’s deportation, while decades past due, is welcome news for a people committed to healing and justice.”
It is not clear whether the fugitive is on a private or commercial flight, but sources say it is likely touch base at Kigali International Airport around midnight.
Earlier in the day, Mugesera lost his court battle to stay in Canada, with a Quebec Superior Court judge throwing out a last-minute plea for an order keeping him in Canada while the United Nations Committee Against Torture examines his case.
Justice Michel Delorme ruled that Mugesera’s latest case was strictly a matter for Federal Court, saying if he granted the suspect an extension of his stay he would create confusion and “tribunal shopping” in the courts, Canadian media reported.
Federal lawyers argued officials had already assessed the risk of torture faced by Mugesera and found it to be minimal. They also said international treaty obligations do not take precedence over Canadian law.
Mugesera’s legal team argued Canada was bound by international treaty to allow the UN examination of Mugesera’s case to play out.
Mugesera’s deportation, while decades past due,is welcome news for a people committed to healing and justice.
It’s official. Léon Mugesera, the man who has dramatically fought a legal battle against deportation to Rwanda, for nearly two decades, is finally on a Kigali-bound plane. The 59-year old Genocide suspect was put on the plane by Canadian authorities from Trudeau Airport, Montreal, last night, just hours after losing his latest bid against a longstanding deportation order.
The development was confirmed by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, through her Twitter account, shortly after mid night, local time.
She twitted: “Leon Mugesera is now air bound for Kigali! Thank ordinary people in Canada who saw through confusion in international legal labyrinth and said “he must go”.”
Earlier, the minister had twitted: “Leon Mugesera’s deportation, while decades past due, is welcome news for a people committed to healing and justice.”
It is not clear whether the fugitive is on a private or commercial flight, but sources say it is likely touch base at Kigali International Airport around midnight.
Earlier in the day, Mugesera lost his court battle to stay in Canada, with a Quebec Superior Court judge throwing out a last-minute plea for an order keeping him in Canada while the United Nations Committee Against Torture examines his case.
Justice Michel Delorme ruled that Mugesera’s latest case was strictly a matter for Federal Court, saying if he granted the suspect an extension of his stay he would create confusion and “tribunal shopping” in the courts, Canadian media reported.
Federal lawyers argued officials had already assessed the risk of torture faced by Mugesera and found it to be minimal. They also said international treaty obligations do not take precedence over Canadian law.
Mugesera’s legal team argued Canada was bound by international treaty to allow the UN examination of Mugesera’s case to play out.
But the court rejected claims that Mugesera faced torture once deported to Rwanda.
And another dramatic attempt to secure a stay of the deportation order from the Federal Court equally hit a snag – with the same court having ruled in favour of the deportation a week ago.
The UN body’s surprise intervention more than a week ago came in just hours before Mugesera’s initial deportation date, coinciding with the former varsity professor’s dramatic admission to a Quebec hospital.
Later, it was reported that Mugesera had deliberately taken a drug overdose to dodge what looked a certain deportation.
Reacting to recent drama surrounding the case, Rwanda’s Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, said: “Our justice system has gained credibility and recognition beyond these old false stories. My view is that he should be deported as soon as possible, but we have to wait and see.”
Janvier Forongo, the Executive Secretary of the survivors’ umbrella group, IBUKA, said “we welcome the ruling and Canada’s justice system should be an example to other countries that still house killers – they should deport them to the country where they committed the horrors so that they are tried.”
In a 1992 speech, Mugesera called the Tutsi “cockroaches” and “scum,” as he encouraged the Hutu to kill their neighbours.
Mugesera was a vice chairman of the party [MRND] that plunged Rwanda into the Genocide that claimed at least a million lives.
In his insidious speech on November 22, 1992, he allegedly told 1,000 party members that “we the people are obliged to take responsibility ourselves and wipe out this scum [the Tutsi]” and that they should kill the Tutsi and “dump their bodies into the rivers of Rwanda.”
He fled to Canada to avoid prosecution, and has ever since waged a 15-year legal battle to avoid deportation.
But the court rejected claims that Mugesera faced torture once deported to Rwanda.
And another dramatic attempt to secure a stay of the deportation order from the Federal Court equally hit a snag – with the same court having ruled in favour of the deportation a week ago.
The UN body’s surprise intervention more than a week ago came in just hours before Mugesera’s initial deportation date, coinciding with the former varsity professor’s dramatic admission to a Quebec hospital.
Later, it was reported that Mugesera had deliberately taken a drug overdose to dodge what looked a certain deportation.
Reacting to recent drama surrounding the case, Rwanda’s Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, said: “Our justice system has gained credibility and recognition beyond these old false stories. My view is that he should be deported as soon as possible, but we have to wait and see.”
Janvier Forongo, the Executive Secretary of the survivors’ umbrella group, IBUKA, said “we welcome the ruling and Canada’s justice system should be an example to other countries that still house killers – they should deport them to the country where they committed the horrors so that they are tried.”
In a 1992 speech, Mugesera called the Tutsi “cockroaches” and “scum,” as he encouraged the Hutu to kill their neighbours.
Mugesera was a vice chairman of the party [MRND] that plunged Rwanda into the Genocide that claimed at least a million lives.
In his insidious speech on November 22, 1992, he allegedly told 1,000 party members that “we the people are obliged to take responsibility ourselves and wipe out this scum [the Tutsi]” and that they should kill the Tutsi and “dump their bodies into the rivers of Rwanda.”
He fled to Canada to avoid prosecution, and has ever since waged a 15-year legal battle to avoid deportation.
Source: New Times
