Léon Mugesera
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Léon Mugesera is a Rwandan man, resident in Quebec, Canada since 1992. He is currently facing deportation hearings in Canada for an inflammatory anti-Tutsi speech which his critics allege was a precursor to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
An ethnic Hutu, Mugesera has been a member of the dominant Hutu MRND party, which had close ties to the military. He was MRND Vice-Chairman for Gisenyi prefecture.
In a speech given on November 22, 1992 in Rwanda, Mugesera allegedly told 1000 party members that "we the people are obliged to take responsibility ourselves and wipe out this scum" and that they should kill Tutsis and "dump their bodies into the rivers of Rwanda."
Following this speech, the Rwandan Minister of Justice, Stanislas Mbonampeka, issued an arrest warrant against him for inciting hatred. He fled with his family first to the Rwandan army and then to Quebec City in Quebec, Canada. Shortly afterwards, Mbonampeka was dismissed as Minister of Justice.
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[edit] Canada
In Canada, Mugesera and his family arrived as refugees, but were quickly granted permanent resident status, which critics allege was made possible by political connections between the Quebec establishment and the Hutu ruling elite. Mugesera secured a job teaching at Université Laval.
Philip Gourevitch, author of We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, claims that Mugesera's 1992 speech gave necessary momentum to the anti-Tutsi hysteria that led to the genocide, saying that "[Mugesera] was one of the first to go in a major public speech and say, 'Look, our mistake in the past with the Tutsi minority has been allowing them to survive, has been allowing them to live. We must get rid of them.'".
[edit] Deportation
In 1995, Canadian government lawyers began deportation hearings against Mugesera. Two immigration tribunals ordered his deportation, however, the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal overturned these verdicts. Justice Robert Décary, writing for the Court, held that there was no evidence linking the 1992 speech with the genocide which occurred two years later. In all cases Mugesera was represented by Quebec lawyer Guy Bertrand.
The decision of the Federal Court of Appeal was later overturned by an 8-0 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on June 28, 2005, which upheld the original deportation order.
[edit] Trial
On August 1, 2001, Mugesera issued a statement, requesting a trial under Canada's new War Crimes Act.
The move follow's Rwanda's decision to abolish their death penalty, a long standing Canadian legal concern over his deportation.
[edit] References
- ^ Indictment from the ICTR against Augustin Bizimungu, which mentions Mugesera's speech
- ^ Alleged Rwandan war criminal must leave Canada: top court, CBC News, June 28, 2005
- ^ Mugesera v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration)
- ^ Accused Rwandan war criminal wants Canadian trial, CTV News, August 1, 2001
