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ICTR prosecutor appeals 15 year sentence for Hutu singer

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) prosecutor Justice Hassan B. Jallow on Tuesday appealed the 15-year sentence given to popular Rwandan singer-songwriter Simon Bikindi. Jallow appealed the sentence on the grounds that it was inadequate punishment for "direct and public incitement to commit genocide." The charge is based on a speech Bikindi gave during the 1994 Rwanda genocide in which he called on Hutus to rise up and exterminate the Tutsis. The prosecution alleged that Bikindi "through the lyrical content of his music, consciously and deliberately assisted in executing the plan to exterminate Tutsis." Bikindi was first indicted and arrested in 2001. At the time of his arrest, Bikindi was living in the Netherlands. He fought extradition for several months but lost and was turned over to the ICTR in March 2002 where he pleaded not guilty to charges of genocide. The trial commenced in September 2006 following numerous delays relating to court ordered amendments to the original indictment.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 14, 2009 (boomark / email).