A 65-year-old Rwandan man from Ermelo was arrested last Wednesday for possible involvement in the Rwandan genocide. That has it Public Prosecution Service announced on Friday† The man has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. Rwandan authorities have requested his extradition.
According to the Rwandan authorities, in 1994 as an officer of the gendarmerie, the man played an important role in mass murders in the capital Kigali and in Mugina municipality. Gendarmerie officers would have had an active role in directing and carrying out the mass murders, according to human rights organization Human Rights Watch. About 800,000 people were killed during the genocide in Rwanda, which took place from April to July 1994.
In 2013, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) decided to revoke all Dutch citizenship of the man due to possible involvement in genocide. The former officer appealed against this. After the Council of State declared this unfounded, the Public Prosecution Service was able to arrest the man. He will appear before the Court of The Hague this Friday.