On December 21, 2011, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) convicted Mathieu Ngirumpatse, former National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND) President, and Edouard Karemera, former Minister of Interior and former MRND Vice President, on charges of conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement of genocide, crimes against humanity and serious violations of Article 3 Common to the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II. Due to their role in a joint criminal enterprise “to destroy the Tutsi population,” the Trial Chamber found Ngirumpatse and Karemera responsible not only for their own criminal acts, but also for the criminal acts committed by others as part of that enterprise, including widespread rape and sexual assault against Tutsi women and girls. The court sentenced Ngirumpatse and Karemera to life in prison. Co-defendant Joseph Nzirorera, former Secretary General of the MRND, passed away July 1, 2010.

The United States welcomes this ruling as an important step in providing justice and accountability for the Rwandan people and the international community. The defendants were among the leadership of the dominant party in the interim government, the same party that established the Interahamwe militia, which played a leading role in the 1994 genocide.

There are still nine ICTR fugitives at-large, and the United States urges all countries to redouble their cooperation with the ICTR so that these fugitives can be expeditiously arrested and brought to justice.