Rwandan genocide suspects win extradition appeal

Four men wanted in Rwanda for alleged involvement in the central African nation's 1994 genocide won an appeal on Wednesday against extradition from Britain. The High Court ruled there was "a real risk" they would suffer "a flagrant denial of justice" if sent back to Rwanda, where they face charges over the killing of around 800,000 mainly ethnic Tutsis 15 years ago. Vincent Bajinya, Charles Munyaneza, Celestin Ugirashebuja and Emmanuel Nteziryayo are accused of genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, conspiracy to murder, forming a criminal gang and inciting disorder. They also face claims they were involved in "acts of devastation, massacres and looting" in the chaos that ensued after Tutsis were blamed for shooting down an aircraft in April 1994, killing Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana. But High Court judges John Laws and Jeremy Sullivan overturned an extradition order from Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that was approved by a lower court in June 2008. "We conclude that if (the four) were extradited to face trial in the High Court of Rwanda, the appellants would suffer a real risk of a flagrant denial of justice by reason of their likely inability to adduce the evidence of supporting witnesses," they said. The four men, who were arrested in different parts of England in December 2006, deny charges that they orchestrated killings by Hutus between April and July 1994. Munyaneza, Ugirashebuja and Nteziryayo were said to be mayors of local communes who organised kilings in their areas while Bajinya -- also known as Doctor Vincent Brown -- was allegedly a militia organiser in Kigali.