Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza

Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza (1950, in Mutura – 25 April 2010) was a Rwandan diplomat and the chairman of the executive committee for the Rwandan radio station Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines from 1993 and during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

He died on 25 April 2010 in Cotonou, Benin, due to an advanced case of Hepatitis C. It has been reported by his family that he was denied adequate treatment.

On 3 December 2003 Barayagwiza was found guilty of Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit Genocide, Public and Direct Incitement to Genocide and Extermination and Persecution constituting Crimes against Humanity. He was also found not guilty of additional charges of Complicity in Genocide, Murder and violations of Geneva Conventions. He was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment. He announced that he was appealing the sentence and was assigned Donald Herbert and Tanoo Mylvaganam as a new defence counsel on 30 November 2004. Mr. Alfred Pognon was called as “adjunct” defense counsel to Mr. Barletta Caldarera. His appeal was partially upheld on 22 June 2009 and his sentence was reduced to 32 years imprisonment.

On on October 23, 2000 he was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda with Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and violations of the Geneva Conventions. He was tried along with Ferdinand Nahimana, a co-founder of RTLM, and Hassan Ngeze, director and editor of the Kangura newspaper. Mr. Barayagwiza was initially defended by Canadian lawyer Mrs. Marchessault and American lawyer Mr. Danielson. When the two lawyers withdrew, Mr. Barayagwiza was defended throughout the trial, up to the sentence of first instance, by the Italian lawyer Giacomo Barletta Caldarera, so far the only Italian lawyer to have acted as defense counsel in a UN International Tribunal. Barayagwiza refused to participate in the trial, claiming that the judges were not impartial.