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.
Trial Judgment: 25 February 2004; Appeal Judgment: 6 July 2006
André Ntagerura, the former Rwandan Minister of Transport and Communications, Emmanuel Bagambiki, the former Prefet of Cyangugu, and Samuel Imanishimwe, a former lieutenant in the Rwandan Armed Forces, stood trial for their role in massacres and other wrongful conduct committed in Cyangugu Prefecture in 1994. The prosecution charged Ntagerura with direct and superior responsibility for genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity for murder, and war crimes for acts of violence to life. The prosecution charged the Bagambiki and Imanishimwe with direct and superior responsibility for genocide; complicity in genocide; crimes against humanity for acts of murder, extermination, and imprisonment; and war crimes for acts of violence to life. Additionally the prosecution charged Imanishimwe for crimes against humanity for acts of torture.
In 2004, an ICTR Trial Chamber acquitted both Ntagerura and Bagambiki on all charges. The Trial Chamber convicted Imanishimwe of genocide; crimes against humanity for acts of murder, extermination, imprisonment, and torture; and war crimes for acts of violence to life after finding that Imanishimwe ordered soldiers to arrest, detain, mistreat, and execute civilians at Karambo military camp and finding that he failed to prevent or punish his subordinates’ participation in massacres at Gashirabowba football field in April of 1994.
In 2006, the ICTR Appeals Chamber affirmed the acquittal of Ntagerura and Bagambiki and reversed Imanishimwe’s convictions for genocide, extermination as a crime against humanity, and war crimes for events that took place at Gashirabwoba football field, but upheld Imanishimwe’s convictions for crimes against humanity for acts of murder, imprisonment, torture and war crimes for violence to life for his actions at Karambo military camp. The Appeals Chamber reduced Imanishimwe’s sentence from 27 years’ to 12 years’ imprisonment.