Georges Rutaganda

Georges Rutaganda
Georges Rutaganda
Born(1958-11-28)28 November 1958
Commune Masango, Prefecture de Gitarama, Rwanda
Died11 October 2010(2010-10-11) (aged 51)
Porto Novo, Benin[3]
Criminal statusDeceased
Children3 Children;[4] At least one son
Allegiance Rwanda
Conviction(s)
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Date apprehended
10 October 1995
Imprisoned atAkpro-Missérété prison (Benin)

Georges Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda (November 28, 1958 – October 11, 2010) was a Rwandan convicted war criminal and the second vice-president of the Rwandan Hutu militia Interahamwe.[5][6] Rutaganda played a crucial role in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Prosecutor James Stewart stated that "Without Georges Rutaganda, the Rwandan genocide would not have functioned the way it did."[7] He was on radio RTLM (Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines) in Kigali in 1994, encouraging Interahamwe Militia to exterminate all Tutsis. It was alleged that Rutaganda captured, raped, and tortured Tutsi women in Interahamwe hideouts in Kigali. Other accounts state that Rutaganda captured Tutsi prostitutes, believing them to be witches.

During this time, Rutaganda was reported to supply his militia with stolen supplies from the Rwandan military. Rutaganda was arrested on October 10, 1995, and transferred to Arusha, Tanzania, on May 26, 1996. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and murder.

He died from illness in Benin, where he was serving his sentence, on October 11, 2010.[8]

  1. ^ "The Prosecutor v. Georges Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda" (PDF). IRMCT. ICTR. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Georges Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda v. The Prosecutor" (PDF). IRMCT. ICTR. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Rutaganda - DECISION ON RUTAGANDA'S PENDING MOTIONS". Legal Tools.
  4. ^ "The Prosecutor v. Georges Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda" (PDF). IRMCT. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ Des Forges, Alison (March 1999). Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda – The Organization → The Militia. New York: Human Rights Watch. ISBN 1-56432-171-1. Phénéas Ruhumuriza, first vice-president, George Rutaganda, second vice president...
  6. ^ "Georges Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda". TRIAL International. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  7. ^ "Life sentence for Rwanda genocide leader". BBC News. 1999-12-06. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  8. ^ "L'ancien chef milicien rwandais Georges Rutaganda est décédé au Bénin" [The former Rwandan militia chief Georges Rutaganda is dead in Benin]. RFI (in French). October 13, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2019.