France likely to extradite two Rwanda genocide suspects
France may extradite Rwandan genocide suspects for the first time this week, according to a media report on Friday. The suspects, Claude Muhayimana and Innocent Musabyimana, will appear before a judge in the Paris appeals court on Wednesday.
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Kigali suspects the two men of taking part in separate massacres of Tutsis in the north and north-west of the country during the 1994 genocide.
The men were already saved from extradition when a court ruled that no laws were broken at the time of the alleged offences.
Prosecuters say this reasoning must not be applied, arguing the crimes committed were so severe they warranted exceptional consideration.
According to the AFP news agency, the French court for the first time is prepared to base its decision on international definitions of genocide and war crimes.
France has never extradited a genocide suspect to Rwanda, though it has sent certain individuals to the international tribunal in Tanzania.
The two suspects' lawyer said the court's shift in position was politically motivated, aiming to ease tensions between Kigali and Paris.
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