Italy urged to arrest genocide suspect

The human rights organisation, Amnesty International [AI], has issued an urgent appeal to Italy to “fulfill its international obligations” and immediately arrest a Rwandese citizen who has reportedly been indicted by the ICTR. In a statement issued on Tuesday, AI said this must done to ensure that the accused person does not flee. “According to statements made last week by the Chief Prosecutor of the ICTR, the Italian authorities have refused to fulfill their obligations under international law to implement an international warrant issued by the ICTR for the arrest of a Rwandese national resident in Italy,” AI recalled. The Tribunal has not named the individual, believed to be a Roman Catholic priest. “The Italian authorities have indicated that their refusal to cooperate with the ICTR’s request is on the grounds that, under Italy’s domestic legislation, there is no legal basis to proceed with the arrest and that the Italian government would have to issue an ad hoc decree in order to carry out any such arrest,” Amnesty added.