Félicien Kabuga, who was arrested this month in France for crimes related to the Genocide against the Tutsi after 26 years on the run, will be transferred to Arusha, Tanzania once conditions allow, a judge has ruled.
William Sekule, the duty judge at the Arusha branch of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, made the ruling on Thursday following a motion by prosecutors to temporarily transfer Kabuga to The Hague.
Judge Sekule reiterated that the rules reflect that accused persons indicted by the ICTR, such as Kabuga, will be transferred to and detained at the Arusha branch of the Mechanism from where proceedings will be conducted.
The judge also contended that the motion didn't demonstrate that Kabuga's anticipated transfer to Arusha was an actual or likely impediment to his transfer into the custody of the Mechanism.
The same call was recently reiterated by the African Court for Human and People's Rights, which said in a statement that justice would be better served if Kabuga's case is referred to the national jurisdiction in Rwanda.
