Rwanda Genocide Suspect Félicien Kabuga Dies in Custody in Netherlands

(MENAFN) Félicien Kabuga, a businessman accused of financing the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, has died in a hospital in The Hague, according to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), as reported by officials.

The tribunal said the medical officer at the United Nations Detention Unit was immediately informed, while Dutch authorities initiated standard legal procedures and investigations in line with national requirements.

It also confirmed that IRMCT President Judge Graciela Gatti Santana ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances of his death, appointing Judge Alphons Orie to lead the investigation.

Kabuga had been charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, incitement to genocide, and crimes against humanity linked to the 1994 atrocities in Rwanda.

According to reports, the former International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda issued an arrest warrant for him in 2013, and he was later arrested in France in 2020 before being transferred to The Hague that same year.

His trial began in 2022, but proceedings were suspended in 2023 after he was deemed unfit to stand trial. He remained in detention while legal discussions continued regarding his potential release to a state willing to accept him.

Born in 1935 in northern Rwanda, Kabuga rose from modest origins to become one of the country’s most prominent businessmen before later being accused in connection with the genocide.

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