Bizimana

This case summary is part of a collection of summaries describing the cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). See the Online Resource Hub pages on the ICTR and International Criminal Law, and table of ICTR case summaries for additional information.

 

Bizimana (ICTR-98-44F & MICT-13-39)

Transferred to the MICT: 1 August 2012

Augustin Bizimana, the former Minister of Defense in the Rwandan Interim Government in 1994, was indicted for his alleged role in three joint criminal enterprises which resulted in widespread violence against Tutsis across Rwanda in 1994. The prosecution charged Bizimana with direct and superior responsibility for genocide; conspiracy to commit genocide; complicity in genocide; incitement to commit genocide; crimes against humanity for acts of extermination, murder, rape, torture, persecution, and other inhumane acts; and war crimes for acts of violence to life and outrages upon dignity.

Bizimana remained at large as the ICTR was ending its work, and in 2012, the ICTR Prosecution transferred the case to the IRMCT.

In May 2020, the IRMCT confirmed Bizimana’s death, after his remains were found in the Republic of Congo.