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Viewing cable 07KIGALI313, PRESIDENT OF MILITARY COURT ON RECORDS,

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KIGALI313 2007-03-29 16:15 2011-08-24 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kigali
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0313 0881615
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291615Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3964
INFO RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0045
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 0856
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1580
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0200
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0830
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0221
UNCLAS KIGALI 000313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS RW
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT OF MILITARY COURT ON RECORDS, 
PUNISHMENTS WITHIN THE MILITARY 
 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary.  On March 22 DCM and polchief met with 
Major General Patrick Nyamvumba, President of the Military 
High Court, to discuss the military justice system and 
prospects for access to records.  Nyamvumba described a 
system grounded in the civilian criminal code and procedure, 
with careful record keeping, and an interest in making those 
records more readily available to the public.  Nyambvumba 
expressed keen interest in USG assistance with record access, 
and with military justice training.  End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) General Nyamvumba began by reviewing briefly the 
military justice system, as revised by the 2003 Constitution 
and implementing legislation.  As currently constituted, the 
military courts consist of a Military Tribunal and Military 
High Court.  Cases tried by the Military Tribunal and 
reviewed by the Military High Court can be appealed to the 
civilian Supreme Court if the sentence imposed exceeds 10 
years imprisonment.  Cases, such as murder or threats to 
national security, that are tried by the Military High Court 
are reviewable by the Supreme Court. 
 
3.  (SBU) Nyamvumba described the system as "dependent on the 
civilian system," with no independent criminal procedure or 
penal code (note: the existing civilian penal code has at its 
conclusion a separate chapter entitled "military penal code," 
which describes various offenses and their punishments). 
Most of the judges in the military court system were trained 
judges, he said, and the military court system received 
regular training assistance from the Ministry of Justice and 
from various NGOs. 
 
4.  (SBU) Nyamvumba noted that serving military officers were 
subject to military discipline and military courts, no matter 
the nature of their offense or their role in government 
(Note: a number of senior civilian positions are held by 
serving officers, including the Head of Cabinet at the 
Presidency, a number of Ambassadors, several members of 
Parliament, and the Heads of several independent Commissions, 
including the Commission investigating French involvement in 
the genocide).  An aide to Nyamvumba listed for us the 
pending cases within the military justice system, including 
17 murder cases, 151 "ordinary crimes," 13 genocide cases, 
and seven crimes against state security. In total, he said, 
the military courts passed judgment on 204 cases in 2006 (no 
statistics available on convictions versus acquittals). 
 
5.  (SBU) The general mentioned that since 1994, military 
courts had imposed the death penalty in 20 cases -- none had 
been carried out, he averred, and all would be commuted to 
life sentences when the government completed its ongoing 
effort to abolish the death penalty.  Despite the general 
rule on military court jurisdiction over serving 
officers,gacaca courts did, he said, exercise jurisdiction 
over military personnel for Category 2 and 3 cases (that is, 
ordinary murderers and destroyers of property, rather than 
Category 1 leaders and directors of the genocide, who would 
appear before the regular military courts). 
 
6.  (SBU) The general said that military court records were 
open to the public, and that his office was interested in 
exploring the creation of a website for public access to 
those records.  Any assistance from the USG would be greatly 
appreciated, he said.  In answer to the DCM's request for a 
regular channel to examine military court records, the 
general suggested writing to the Secretary General of the 
Ministry of Defense (a post soon to be taken up by returning 
Ambassador to the U.S. Jack Nsenga, also a serving military 
officer). When asked if JAG Corps assistance to the Rwandan 
military court system would be useful, General Nyamvumba 
responded enthusiastically.  "We would welcome such 
assistance at any time," he said. 
 
ARIETTI