Félicien Kabuga, a key suspect in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, died while in custody at a hospital in The Hague on Saturday. According to multiple reports, the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals announced his death, noting that Kabuga had been deemed unfit to stand trial due to dementia.
Key Takeaways
Félicien Kabuga, a Rwandan suspect charged in connection with the 1994 genocide, died in custody at a hospital in The Hague while awaiting trial. He was accused of encouraging and bankrolling the mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority.
- Félicien Kabuga, 83, dies in U.N. custody in The Hague
- Accused of financing Rwandan genocide and inciting violence through media outlets
- Trial halted due to dementia; investigation into death ordered
Kabuga was arrested in France in 2020 after evading capture for more than two decades. He faced charges of genocide, incitement to commit genocide, and conspiracy to commit genocide among other crimes related to the massacre that left approximately 800,000 people dead over a span of 100 days.
The trial began in 2022, but was halted after judges declared Kabuga unfit for trial. The court had been considering procedures to continue hearing evidence without the possibility of convicting him. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death has been ordered by the U.N. court.
Kabuga's arrest in 2020 followed a $5 million bounty and an arrest warrant issued in 2013. His lawyer had previously stated that Kabuga would not return to Rwanda, fearing mistreatment despite the country offering to take him. The declaration of his unfitness for trial angered many genocide survivors who believed his crimes deserved the maximum sentence.
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