Rwandan genocide suspect Kabuga declared ‘unfit’ to stand trial

Felicien Kabuga, the Rwandan genocide suspect, is unfit to stand trial, judges at a United Nations war crimes court at The Hague have ruled.

Kabuga, who is 88 according to officials but claims to be 90, had been living under a false identity and evaded capture for decades. He was arrested at his Paris home in May 2020 before being extradited to The Hague, where he entered a not-guilty plea.

He went on trial in September last year but refused to appear in court or remotely at the start of his trial. He has followed proceedings via video link from a wheelchair at the court’s detention centre.

The court put the trial on hold in March this year over health concerns.

“The trial chamber finds Mr Kabuga is no longer capable of meaningful participation in his trial,” a decision published on Wednesday by the court said.