Kigali: The UN court trying Genocide suspects has transferred nine of its convicted prisoners to Benin to serve their sentences, the court announced on Wednesday.

The court transferred the prisoners on Saturday. A May 18 order by ICTR President Sir Dennis Byron requested the men be moved from the UN Detention Facility at Arusha, Tanzania to Beninese custody.

The convicts concerned are: Georges Rutaganda, Gerard Ntakirutimana, Juvenal Kajelijeli, Emmanuel Ndindabahizi, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Aloys Simba, Juvenal Rugambarara, Athanase Seromba and François Karera.

Rutaganda was sentenced to life imprisonment on 6 December 1999 while Kajelijeli was sentenced to 45 years imprisonment on 1 December 2003. He is due for discharge from prison on 25 May 2043.  Ntakirutimana was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on 19 February 2003 and is due for discharge from prison on 23 October 2021. Ndindabahizi was sentenced to life imprisonment on 15 July 2004.

Barayagwiza was sentenced to 32 years imprisonment on 03 December 2003. He is due for discharge from prison on 19 March 2028, Simba was on 13 December 2005 sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and is due for discharge from prison on 19 March 2028.  Rugambarara was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment on 16 November 2007, and is due for discharge from prison on 10 August 2014; and Seromba and Karera were on 12 March 2008 and on 7 December 2007 respectively sentenced to life imprisonment.

The prisoners arrived in Cotonou on the same day and were received by the Prison Authorities of Benin. After the hand-over, the prisoners were moved to Akpro-Missérété Prison at Port-Novo, the ICTR which has to close down next year said.  
 

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