Sweden frees Rwandan genocide suspect for lack of evidence

Thursday, 28 July 2011 14:06 by RNA Reporter

(http://www.rnanews.com/component/content/article/1-latest/5188-sweden-frees-rwandan-genocide-suspect-for-lack-of-evidence)

Kigali: The Swedish Supreme Court has freed Sylvere Ahorugeze, 55, suspected of taking part in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda, court officials said Thursday.

Sylvere Ahorugeze, has been in preventive custody since his arrest in Sweden in mid 2008 on an international arrest warrant issued by Rwanda for allegedly participating in the slaughter of 25 people.

Last year, a lower court ruled that he can be extradited to Rwanda to face Genocide charges, and the Swedish government even started preparations for his immediate transfer to Rwanda. However, the decision was blocked by the European Court of Human Rights following a petition from Ahorugeze’s defense team.

The EU Court apparently reviewed the case and found flaws in the extradition dossier which did not have convincing evidence. The Court referred the case back to the Swedish judicial system for further review. Swedish prosecutors were still hoping to get an extradition order to Rwanda, even as the Swedish courts waited to get more evidence.

But the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Ahorugeze should be freed due to the sheer length of his detention.

“The Supreme Court decided yesterday that he has now been in detention for so long that it is not proper to keep him any longer,” said court official Ralf Jartelius, adding that the court’s written ruling will be released next week.

Jartelius said that Ahorugeze is no longer in jail and has reportedly returned to his family in Denmark.

An engineer by profession, Ahorugeze was Director of the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority and of Kigali international airport in 1994.

At the end of the genocide, Ahorugeze established himself in Denmark where he gained residency status. Danish authorities arrested him in September 2006 on charges of genocide, but the case was dropped by the Danish prosecutor in August 2007 because of a lack of evidence.

He was again re-arrested in July 2008 after being recognized at the Rwandan embassy in Sweden by embassy staff as he sought Rwandan travel documents for his wife. Rwanda immediately requested his extradition a month later. (End)