The Appeals Chamber Hears Oral Arguments in the Muvunyi Case

The  Appeals  Chamber  of  the  International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda,
composed  of  Judge  Patrick Robinson, presiding, Judge Fausto Pocar, Judge
Liu  Daqun,  Judge  Theodor Meron, and Judge Carmel Agius, today heard oral
arguments  in  the  appeals lodged by Tharcisse Muvunyi and the Prosecution
against the Judgement pronounced by Trial Chamber III on 11 February 2010.

The  Trial  Chamber  convicted  Muvunyi  of direct and public incitement to
commit  genocide  based  on  his statements made at a public meeting at the
Gikore  Trade  Center  and  sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment. This
conviction  followed  a  retrial  ordered  by  the  Appeals Chamber on this
allegation on 29 August 2008.

Muvunyi  contends  that  the  Trial Chamber committed a number of errors of
fact  and law, and accordingly requests the Appeals Chamber to overturn his
conviction  or  in  the alternative to reduce his sentence. The Prosecution
requests  the Appeals Chamber to increase Muvunyi’s sentence to 25 years of
imprisonment.

Muvunyi was born on 19 August 1953 in Mukarange Commune, Byumba Prefecture,
Rwanda. In 1994, he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Rwandan army
and was stationed at the Ecole des Sous-Officiers in Butare Prefecture.