Désiré Munyaneza
{{Short description|Rwandan war criminal (born 1966)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name = Désiré Munyaneza
| image_name =
| image_size =
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| image_caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth month and age|1966|12}}
| birth_place = Rwanda
| death_date =
| death_place =
| cause =
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| motive =
| charge =
| conviction = Genocide (2 counts)
Crimes against humanity (2 counts)
War crimes (3 counts)
| conviction_penalty = Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years
| conviction_status = Incarcerated
| occupation =
}}
Désiré Munyaneza (born 1966) is a Rwandan convicted war criminal imprisoned in Canada. Before his arrest he was a businessman living in Toronto, Ontario. He is the first person to be arrested and convicted in Canada on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/world/americas/23canada.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss | title = Canadian Judge Convicts Rwandan in Genocide | date = May 22, 2009 | accessdate = May 22, 2009 | work = The New York Times | first=Ian | last=Austen}} He was sent to jail in October 2009.
Arrest
On October 19, 2005, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced it had detained Munyaneza under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act with charges for two counts of genocide, two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes.
Munyaneza was the first person to be arrested under that law, which was passed to give formal recognition to Canada's obligations to the International Criminal Court.
Munyaneza committed the acts near Butare, Rwanda in 1994.{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-man-charged-with-rwandan-war-crimes-1.550659 | title = Toronto man charged with Rwandan war crimes | date = October 19, 2005 | access-date=February 22, 2007 | publisher = CBC News}}{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/no-bail-for-man-accused-of-rwandan-war-crimes-1.588794| title = No bail for man accused of Rwandan war crimes | date = April 27, 2006 | access-date=February 22, 2007 | publisher = CBC News}}
Trial
Munyaneza's trial began in March 2007 with the testimony of a woman, identified only as witness C-15, who stated that she had pretended to be dead for three days and smeared her sister's blood on her body to hide from Interahamwe gangs.
{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/woman-pretended-to-be-dead-for-3-days-war-crimes-trial-hears-1.648979| title = Woman pretended to be dead for 3 days, war crimes trial hears | date = March 26, 2007 | accessdate=March 26, 2007 | publisher = CBC News}}{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070403.rwanda04/BNStory/National| title = Horrors of Rwanda slaughter retold at Montreal war-crimes trial | first= Tu Thanh | last = Ha | date = April 3, 2007 | accessdate=April 3, 2007 | work = The Globe and Mail}}
On April 10, a witness known as C-17 testified that Munyaneza had raped her four times, and that she had witnessed him personally raping and killing others.{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070410.wrwanda0410/BNStory/National/home| title = First rape victim testifies at war crimes trial | date = April 10, 2007 | accessdate=April 10, 2007 | first=Ingrid|last=Peritz | work = The Globe and Mail}}
On April 11, Munyaneza was severely beaten in his cell at the Rivières-des-Prairies prison by a 17-year-old who had heard about the details of Munyaneza's trial in the media.{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/teen-inmate-charged-in-rwandan-s-prison-beating-1.686531| title = Teen inmate charged in Rwandan's prison beating | date = April 27, 2007 | accessdate=April 27, 2007 | publisher = CBC News}}
On May 22, 2009, Munyaneza, 42 years old, was convicted on seven counts related to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The offences fall under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, which allows residents to be tried for crimes committed abroad. Munyaneza is the first person to be convicted under the Canadian law.{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/10/200910304444692682.html|title=Canada jails Rwandan over genocide|date=October 30, 2009|accessdate=October 30, 2009|publisher=Al Jazeera}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8333046.stm|title=Canada jails Rwandan war criminal|date=October 29, 2009|accessdate=October 30, 2009|publisher=BBC}}{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-court-convicts-munyaneza-of-war-crimes-in-rwanda-1.841328 | publisher=CBC News | title=Quebec court convicts Munyaneza of war crimes in Rwanda | date=May 22, 2009}} The trial, held in Montreal with the court also travelling to Rwanda, saw sixty-six people testify in court. Many had their identities hidden.
Sentence
On October 29, 2009, Munyaneza was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8333046.stm BBC NEWS | Americas | Canada jails Rwandan war criminal][https://web.archive.org/web/20220127143651/https://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091029/munyaneza_sentence_091029/20091029?hub=Canada CTV News | Munyaneza handed life sentence for war crimes] Canadian law stated that Munyaneza's criminal activities were the "worst in existence". The judge referred to the sentence as "severe". It is anticipated that Munyaneza will appeal the sentence.{{cite news|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE59S0RK20091029|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724184054/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE59S0RK20091029|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2011|title=Canada court gives Rwandan life term for war crimes|date=October 29, 2009|accessdate=October 30, 2009|publisher=Reuters Africa}} Munyaneza's lawyer thought he should be imprisoned for just twenty years. Emmanuel Muhawenimena, who said he lost 70 family members in the genocide, said "So many Rwandans in Montreal, across Canada, all over the world, they are happy today."
References
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External links
- [https://www.canlii.org/en/qc/qccs/doc/2009/2009qccs2201/2009qccs2201.html R. v. Munyaneza, Quebec Superior Court, 2009 QCCS 2201]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071007123301/http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/desire_munyaneza_423.html Article on Munyaneza at Trial Watch]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070813204400/http://www.grepih.uqam.ca/ GREPIH], Working Group in International Criminal and Humanitarian Law, a student organization of the [https://www.uqam.ca/ UQAM] which supervises the monitoring of the Munyaneza trial.
{{CanadianWarCrimes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munyaneza, Desire}}
Category:Rwandan emigrants to Canada
Category:Rwandan people convicted of genocide
Category:Rwandan people convicted of crimes against humanity
Category:Rwandan people convicted of war crimes
Category:Rwandan people imprisoned abroad
Category:Rwandan prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment