Casimir Bizimungu (born 1951) is a
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
n politician.
A former medical doctor, Bizimungu holds a
Ph.D. and an
M.D. from
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
universities.
He held several portfolios in the
MRND government of
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana (, ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until 1994. He was nicknamed ''Kinani'', a Kinyarwanda word meaning "invincible".
An eth ...
until July 1994. From 1989 to 1992 he was
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
, and from 9 April to 14 July 1994, during the
Rwandan genocide
The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...
, he was Minister of Health in the interim government.
The
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) issued an indictment against him and three other ministers, accusing them of conspiracy in genocide, genocide, direct and public
incitement to genocide
Incitement to genocide is a crime under international law which prohibits inciting (encouraging) the commission of genocide. An extreme form of hate speech, incitement to genocide is considered an inchoate offense and is theoretically subject ...
, and crimes against humanity.
Bizimungu was arrested on 11 February 1999 at his home in Hurlingham, near
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
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. On 23 February 1999 he was transferred to the custody of the ICTR.
His trial by the ICTR in
Arusha
Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census).
Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern bran ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
began on 6 November 2003. Bizimungu was tried along with several other former government ministers:
Jerome Bicamumpaka
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is com ...
(foreign minister),
Justin Mugenzi (minister of commerce), and
(minister of civil service).
ICTR/Calendar - Eight trials set for March 2006
''Reuters AlertNet'', March 2, 2006.
On 30 September 2011, Casimir Bizimungu was acquitted of all charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and immediately released from custody.
References
External links
Trial International: Casimir Bizimungu
Publications of Casimir Bizimungu
from PubMed
PubMed is a free search engine accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health maintai ...
*
The Prosecutor v. Casimir Bizimungu et al.
' (ICTR Trial Chamber Judgement)
Living people
People acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
1951 births
Foreign ministers of Rwanda
Health ministers of Rwanda
Rwandan exiles
{{Rwanda-politician-stub