Today Michiel Pestman and Göran Sluiter lodged a criminal complaint against the president of Rwanda Paul Kagame regarding, among other things, genocide. They did so on behalf of their client Jean Claude Iyamuremye, a Rwandan national suspected of genocide in Rwanda. The complaint was lodged with both the Netherlands public prosecution service and the Rwandan prosecutor general.
Mr Iyamuremye’s extradition from the Netherlands to Rwanda has been requested by Mr Kagame’s government. The extradition case is currently pending before the Netherlands Supreme Court. Mr Iyamuremye has been a lawful resident of the Netherlands for more than ten years until his residence permit was revoked in recent times.
The complaint focuses in particular on the enforced disappearance of the father and brother of Mr Iyamuremye in 1996 and 1997 in Rwanda, and on the attacks on Hutu refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (‘DRC’) by Rwandan forces led by Mr Kagame. Regarding the crimes committed in the DRC, the complaint centres primarily around the attack on Port Onatra (Port National des Transports) in Mbandaka. Mr Iyamuremye is one of the few survivors of this massacre. As such, he is also an important eye witness of these crimes committed by Mr Kagame and his forces.
Click here for the full text of the complaint.