International Justice Served: No Impunity for Genocide

OTTAWA – Today’s convictions of the masterminds of the Rwandan genocide marks a positive development in the struggle against genocide said Senator Yoine Goldstein, Chair of the Canadian Parliament’s innovative All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and other Crimes against Humanity founded with Senator Roméo Dallaire.

“Perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity must know that the long arm of the law will reach through time and across borders to bring them to justice,” said Senator Goldstein. “This is a step in the right direction.”

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda’s sentenced three of the primary organizers and perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for their role in the 1994 genocide.

“The serious and systematic violations of international human rights law in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo remind us that the fight to end impunity for human rights violations must be pursued vigorously,” said Senator Goldstein.

The Group is a testament to Canada’s leadership role in genocide prevention. The executive jointly calls for all-party cooperation in sustaining Canadian efforts to bring an end to impunity for genocide and crimes against humanity.