\nArusha, 2 July 2007 (FH) - The Rwandan authorities will use every means possible to block any transfer elsewhere than to Kigali of a person convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), warned on Monday the government representative to the tribunal, Aloys Mutabingwa.\n<\/p>\n
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\n"We are ready to use every means possible to block that", indicated the diplomat in an interview with the Hirondelle news agency.\n<\/p>\n
\nSix ICTR convicts are currently being held in Bamako, Mali under the terms of an agreement made between that country and the tribunal.\n<\/p>\n
Several definitive convicts remain in detention at the seat of the tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania while waiting for their transfer towards another country.\n<\/p>\n
\n"It is necessary that they are transferred to Rwanda. The UN does not have any more pretext; we have built a prison meeting international standards ", indicated Mutabingwa. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nThe diplomat explained that the fact of holding the convicts in their country would have "a teaching value" for Rwandans.\n<\/p>\n
\n"Those who were not convicted to life in prison will be freed at the end of their sentences", ensured the Rwandan diplomat.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe estimated that the transfer to Rwanda of ICTR convicts exempts the tribunal of the difficult responsibility of finding host countries for those finishing their sentences.\n<\/p>\n
\nAccording to the ICTR statute, \u00ab\u00a0Imprisonment shall be served in Rwanda or any of the States on a list of States which have indicated to the Security council their willingness to accept convicted persons, as designated by the tribunal".\n<\/p>\n
\n"Such imprisonment shall be served in accordance with the applicable law of the State concerned, subject to the supervision of the tribunal", adds the text.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn addition to Mali, the countries which signed the agreement on the enforcement of sentences are Benin, Swaziland, France, Sweden and Italy. These 5 countries have not, however, yet received ICTR convicts.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn September 2004, the registry of the ICTR and the Rwandan authorities had announced to have had finalized the text of an agreement on the enforcement of sentences in Rwanda.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe two parties had indicated that they were only waiting on the green light from New York to place their signatures at the bottom of the text.\n<\/p>\n
\n"There is a lack of will somewhere", stated Mutabingwa; stressing that this delay "is damaging to Rwanda".\n<\/p>\n
\nER\/MM\/AT\n<\/p>\n
\n\u00a9 Hirondelle News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arusha, 2 July 2007 (FH) - The Rwandan authorities will use every means possible to block any transfer elsewhere than to Kigali of a person convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), warned on Monday the government representative to the tribunal, Aloys Mutabingwa. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-18880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hirondellenews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n