Belgium seeks extradition of accused in Arusha

The prosecution in the case against Bernard Ntuyahaga at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) yesterday applied to have the indictment against the accused withdrawn in favour of a trial in Belgium. Ntuyahaga, a former Rwandan army officer, surrendered to the tribunal last year. He faces one count of crimes against humanity. However, the Belgian authorities seek to prosecute Ntuyahaga, who headed Kigali barracks, for the death of 10 Belgian UN peacekeepers and the former Rwandan prime minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana. An international arrest warrant issued by a Belgian magistrate in 1995 for the accused remains outstanding. According to an ICTR statement, Brussels would support a direct transfer of Ntuyahaga to Belgium. If that were not possible, he should be handed over to the Tanzanian authorities for extradition. Ntuyahaga’s defence council opposed the move, arguing that if the prosecution was unable to pursue the charges, the tribunal should acquit his client.