UBUSHINJACYAHA v. MUGESERA

UBUSHINJACYAHA v. MUGESERA

The court found that the recorded and transcribed Kabaya speech was indeed the speech Mugesera had delivered, and that, read as a whole and in context, it used language such as inyenzi, ibyitso by’abateye igihugu, cutting off heads, sending people back through Nyabarongo to Ethiopia, and rejecting political...

Source-derived case information.

Parties
Applicant: UBUSHINJACYAHA; Respondent: MUGESERA
Jurisdiction
Rwanda
Procedural Posture
Criminal Judgment / First Instance Judgment
Outcome
Conviction in part; acquittal in part; life imprisonment imposed.
Legal Topics
Genocide, Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit Genocide, Complicity Through Instructions and Weapons, Persecution as a Crime Against Humanity, Incitement to Ethnic Hatred, Testimonial Credibility, Multiple Convictions Based on the Same Facts, Sentencing
Source Language
rw
Criminal Law International Criminal Law Human Rights Law Evidence Law Genocide Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide Conspiracy to Commit Genocide Complicity Through Instructions and Weapons +5 more

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Summary, issues, holding and outcome

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Parties

UBUSHINJACYAHA

Applicant

MUGESERA

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Criminal Judgment / First Instance Judgment

  1. 1 Whether the speech attributed to Mugesera at Kabaya was proved and admissible as evidence.
  2. 2 Whether the speech constituted direct and public incitement to commit genocide.
  3. 3 Whether there was a conspiracy to commit genocide.

Ratio Decidendi

The court found that the recorded and transcribed Kabaya speech was indeed the speech Mugesera had delivered, and that, read as a whole and in context, it used language such as inyenzi, ibyitso by’abateye igihugu, cutting off heads, sending people back through Nyabarongo to Ethiopia, and rejecting political opposition in a way that publicly and directly urged the destruction of Tutsi and political opponents. Corroborated by witness testimony, contemporaneous media reports, investigative reports, and the Nyamyumba speech, the conduct satisfied direct and public incitement to commit genocide, made Mugesera an accomplice to genocide under the law then applicable, and also constituted...

Court Disposition

Conviction in part; acquittal in part; life imprisonment imposed.

Orders

  • Mugesera Léon is convicted of complicity in genocide through direct and public incitement to commit genocide, persecution as a crime against humanity, and incitement to ethnic hatred.
  • Mugesera Léon is acquitted of conspiracy to commit genocide and complicity in genocide through instructions and weapons.