UN war crimes tribunal confirms life imprisonment for former Rwandan leader

The Appeals Chamber of the United Nations tribunal dealing with the 1994 Rwandan genocide today confirmed the life sentence imposed on a former provincial leader convicted for his role in the killings.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), based in Arusha in neighbouring Tanzania, convicted François Karera in December 2007 after finding him guilty of three counts of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Tribunal had found that Mr. Karera, who served as the prefect, or chief administrator, of Kigali-Rural Prefecture between April and July 1994, ordered, instigated and encouraged attacks by Hutu militiamen and soldiers against Tutsis in his prefecture.

Mr. Karera will remain in the UN Detention Facility in Arusha until he is transferred to the country in which he will serve his sentence.

More than 800,000 people were massacred, mostly by machete, for being ethnic Tutsis or Hutu moderates during a period of less than 100 days starting in April 1994 in the small African nation.