Sister Maria Kisito, born Julienne Mukabutera (born 22 June 1964) is a

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

who was convicted and sentenced to 12 years for her active role in the deaths of an estimated 5000 to 7000 people who sought refuge at their convent in southern Rwanda during the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

. Her mother superior, Gertrude Mukangango, received a 15-year prison sentence. The prosecution had requested life sentences for both women and two men who were on trial with them. Witnesses had observed that the two nuns actively directed Rwandan death squadrons to their refuge and even supplied gasoline to burn down the building with the civilians inside. After serving half of her 12-year sentence in a Belgian prison, Kisito was released in June 2007.

Testimony from the trial

On 22 April 1994 Séraphine Mukamana had hidden herself in a garage when a militia attacked a convent in Sovu in southern Rwanda. "We sought refuge in the garage and closed and barricaded the doors. Outside a bloodbath is going on. Suddenly an orphan begins to weep as it gets too hot in the garage. At once, the killers approach the garage." As the refugees refuse to come out, the militia leader, Emmanuel Rekeraho, decides to burn them alive in the garage. "'The nuns are coming to help us. They are bringing gasoline,' I heard ekerahosay. Looking through a hole that the militiamen meanwhile had made in the wall, I indeed saw Sister Gertrude and Sister Kisito. The latter was carrying a petrol can. Shortly upon that, the garage is set on fire.""Vatican Puzzled by Verdict Against Rwandan Nuns," retrieved May 26, 2008
/ref>

Testimony from the trial

References

See also