Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the IRMCT Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) is on an official mission to Kigali, Rwanda from 11-15 March 2024.
The purpose of the mission is to further enhance co-operation between prosecutors and continue efforts to achieve more justice for the victims and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Following the completion of the trials and appeals at the IRMCT, and at the request of Rwandan authorities, the IRMCT Office of the Prosecutor is undertaking new initiatives to strengthen its support to national jurisdictions and ensure that more fugitives are held accountable for their crimes, consistent with its mandate from the United Nations Security Council.
On 11 March, Prosecutor Brammertz, the Prosecutor General of Rwanda, Amiable Havugiyaremye, and the Head of the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecution Office, Jean-Francois Ricard, convened the first trilateral discussions between their offices. It was agreed that moving forward, it will be essential for their prosecutors to further increase their direct operational cooperation on specific cases, including through the exchange of evidence and coordinated investigations. The OTP was further requested to provide expanded assistance to Rwandan and French counterparts, particularly by sharing its knowledge and expertise. Prosecutors from all three offices held further technical discussions on identified priority cases, which will be an opportunity to realize enhanced cooperation in practice. Prosecutors Brammertz, Havugiyaremye and Ricard concluded that these meetings had proved invaluable, and expressed their confidence that the three offices will continue achieving deeper cooperation moving forward to deliver on their common commitment to bring more perpetrators to justice.
Consistent with the OTP’s priority to ensure that national prosecutors in Rwanda and elsewhere receive the assistance they require, the OTP will maintain staff in Kigali, notwithstanding the closure of the IRMCT’s administrative office later this year. Through this ongoing presence, the OTP will continue to directly support Rwandan authorities in their work, while also assisting national prosecutors around the world who are investigating and prosecuting Rwandan fugitives suspected of committing crimes during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Whilst in Kigali, Prosecutor Brammertz will meet with representatives of the victims and survivors to discuss how they can continue to play an important part in the accountability process. He will also meet with senior Rwandan officials, including from the Military Prosecutor’s Office and the Rwandan National Police.
