Ex-minister gets life sentence for Rwanda genocide

Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, a former Rwanda women’s minister, has been sentenced to life in prison for her role in the country’s 1994 genocide.

The 65-year-old is the first woman to be convicted by the UN backed tribunal for Rwanda’s genocide.

Rwanda was torn apart in 1994 during the killings. Mrs Nyiramasuhuko was accused of ordering and assisting in the massacres and rape of women and girls in her home district in southern Rwanda.

Reports say she was found guilty along with her son and four other officials after a 10-year trial. A tribunal spokesman quoted by Reuters said “She has been convicted for genocide and crimes against humanity, including extermination, rape and persecution.” Her son Arsene Ntahobali was also sentenced to life in prison while the four others convicted all received sentences of 25 years or more.

An estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the genocide in the space of 100 days.

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