The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established by the UN on November 1994 for "the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994".
According to ICTR spokesman Roland Amoussouga, this agreement - signed by ICTR Registrar Adam Dieng and by Senegalese Minister of Justice Cheikh Tidiane Sy - will allow ICTR prisoners to serve their sentence in Senegal.
A jail-house where ICTR convicts could be hosted has already been identified in Dakar.
Senegal is the eighth country to sign this Agreement after Mali, Benin, Swaziland, Italy, France, Sweden and Rwanda. However, Mali, Benin, Italy and Sweden are the only countries where ICTR prisoners have been sent so far.
According to Article 26 of the ICTR Statute, "Imprisonment 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 International Tribunal for Rwanda".
Kigali maintains that according to this text, Rwanda should be the first destination for ICTR convicts but none of them have been transferred there yet.
ER/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency
