Félicien Kabuga, a Rwandan genocide suspect, has died in custody in The Hague at the age of 91, the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals confirmed on Saturday. He was accused of financing and inciting the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Kabuga was arrested in France in 2020 after 26 years on the run, with a $5 million bounty on his head. His trial began in 2022, but was halted in 2023 when judges ruled he had dementia and was unfit to stand trial. He pleaded not guilty to charges including genocide, incitement to commit genocide, and persecution.
The court ordered an investigation into his death, which occurred in hospital. Kabuga had remained in detention while his provisional release was considered, but his lawyer said he refused to return to Rwanda, fearing mistreatment.
Genocide survivors in Rwanda expressed anger that Kabuga died without facing a conviction, as they believed his crimes warranted the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
