Rwanda Case Law

UBUSHINJACYAHA v. NTAGANZWA

Court

Court of Appeal

Case number

RPA/GEN 00001/2021/CA

The Court of Appeal held that minor contradictions among prosecution witnesses did not undermine the substance of their testimony, which was consistent on material facts. The court affirmed that a conviction may be based on the credible testimony of a single witness, in line with Rwandan law and international jurisprudence. The court found that the accused's own admissions and official documents corroborated the prosecution's case and demonstrated intent and participation in genocide, extermination, and rape as crimes against humanity. The appeal failed to identify any legal or factual error…

Source excerpt

• Genocide
• Crimes against humanity
• Rape as a crime against humanity
• Evidentiary standards
• Witness credibility
• Appellate review

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THE PROSECUTOR V. AUGUSTIN DINDILIYIMANA, AUGUSTIN BIZIMUNGU, FRANÇOIS-XAVIER NZUWONEMEYE AND INNOCENT SAGAHUTU

The Chamber found that the Prosecution failed to prove a conspiracy to commit genocide, but proved various individual and superior-responsibility crimes for some Accused on certain incidents, while acquitting them on other allegations; convictions were entered only where the evidence established the charged conduct and, for war crimes, the required nexus to the armed conflict. The Chamber held that Bizimungu’s liability for extermination was limited to the Josephite Brothers compound because the proof concerning the préfecture office and EER in Butare did not reach the scale required for exte…

Source excerpt

• Genocide
• Crimes against humanity
• War crimes
• Superior responsibility
• Rape
• Murder

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