A Rwandan man living in Toronto has been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, making him the first person to be charged under five-year-old Canadian legislation.

The RCMP said it arrested a 39-year-old man in Toronto on Wednesday in connection with events in Butare, Rwanda, in 1994.

An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu extremists in the central African country that year, in one of the century's worst massacres.




Désiré Munyaneza faces seven charges under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, including:

  • Two counts of genocide.
  • Two counts of crimes against humanity.
  • Three counts of war crimes.

Munyaneza is the first to be charged under the Canadian legislation, which became law in 2000 and recognizes the country's obligations to the United Nations' International Criminal Court.

Insp. Graham Burnside heads the RCMP War Crimes Section.
Insp. Graham Burnside heads the RCMP War Crimes Section.

"It's a ground-breaking case for the RCMP in that it's the first time charges have been laid under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act that became law in 2000," said Insp. Graham Burnside, who heads the RCMP War Crimes Section.

The RCMP said the arrest followed a five-year investigation by the war crimes unit that included interviews with many witnesses in Rwanda, Europe and Canada.

Burnside said the arrest could never have been made without "tremendous" help from other organizations in Canada and abroad, including the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

The RCMP would say little about Munyaneza 's alleged role in the genocide or when he came to Canada.

He was arrested in Toronto, but the charges were laid in Montreal and he will appear in a courtroom there on Thursday.

Federal officials wouldn't say whether Munyaneza will be tried in Canada or extradited to face trial before an international tribunal.

Canadian authorities can take a number of different actions against people accused of war crimes, including denying them refugee protection, revoking citizenship, prosecuting them or extraditing them to face prosecution under an international tribunal.