A court in Germany has sentenced two men from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) for war crimes, in a landmark trial last week.
The trial was the first under Germany’s Code of Crimes Against International Law, which allows the investigation and prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, irrespective of where they are committed.
The court sentenced Ignace Murwanashyaka, head of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), to 13 years in prison, and his deputy Straton Musoni to 8 years, finding them guilty of war crimes. Initially the men were accused of 26 counts of crimes against humanity and 39 counts of war crimes committed by militias under their command, however the trial centred on specific cases of killings.
The verdict was hailed by Human Rights Watch’s advocacy director, Géraldine Mattioli-Zeltner, who said it showed “that the world has become a smaller place for war criminals”. Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Bussingye welcomed the sentence saying "it is a good step but it is a very small step”.
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