GLA ALERT: ​International Human Rights Litigator and GLA Board Senior Advisor, Abbe Jolles has filed a Demand before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT)

​International Human Rights Litigator and GLA Board Senior Advisor, Abbe Jolles has filed a Demand before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) In the Matter of Tharcisse Muvunyi.  Mr. Tharcisse Muvunyi served a sentence imposed by the UN ICTR in Arusha, Tanzania.  Mr. Muvunyi was part of a group that was released or acquitted and was released on March 6, 2012. He had remained in Tanzania.

 Ms. Jolles demanded the “immediate evacuation out of Niger and relocation to a safe country.” She reminded the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals  (IRMCT) that “by and through it’s Registrar, Abubacarr M. Tambadou, knowingly sent Tharcisse Muvunyi to Niger, and into grave danger.  Read the filing appended document at the bottom of this post.

Created December 22, 2010, by the United Nations Security Council, the IRMCT performs certain functions carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (“ICTR”) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (“ICTY”). The UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (“IRMCT or Mechanism”) has branch offices in Arusha and The Hague. You can learn more about the Mechanism by following these links: IRMCT and IRMCT Cases.

Under an agreement secretly negotiated November 15, 2021, on December 6, 2021, the UN through IRMT Registrar Tambadou, the UN sent Mr. Muvunyi (and 7 others similarly situated individuals) to Niger. The UN housed and pay Niger who agreed to provide safe harbor for one year. Yet, Niger is a very poor and unstable nation with a lot of civil unrest and an ever-changing government. On December 27, 2021, in violation of the UN Agreement, Niger issued an expulsion order demanding Tharcisse Muvunyi and the others leave within 7 days.  That same day Ms. Jolles sent the Expulsion Order to the Registrar.  The IRMT curtly responded: “thank you for telling us we are looking into it.”

In letter to the UN Secretary General that was released to the media, Mr. Muvunyi's son Christian Dushime stressed: "This behaviour is very worrying and means my father, Mr Tharcisse Muvunyi and seven others are now at risk of imminent expulsion from Niger to an unknown country thereby putting their lives in danger. Even more worrying is the possibility of Niger deporting them to Rwanda where their lives will be in extreme danger. This must be prevented at all costs. Recently we had a petition filed by a local lawyer to stay the expulsion order rejected by “Conseil d'Etat” in Niger on a technicality which we believe is pretext to frustrate and delay our actions."

The Global Liberty Alliance (GLA) strongly supports holding to account perpetrators of crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and other gross violations of fundamental and human rights. However, the process must be fair and impartial, and, among other factors, the accused afforded due process of law at every stage of the proceedings. To advance the cause of justice where possible national courts or tribunals set up for a limited time and scope, ideally where the crimes and atrocities happened should be used, not international systems cobbled together by the broken United Nations or Inter-American systems.
 
“Mr. Muvunyi’s life is in danger. We fear Niger intends to send Mr. Muvunyi to his death in Rwanda. Mr. Muvunyi and the others are set to be sent back to Rwanda and to certain death if the UN does not evacuate them immediately,” Ms. Jolles said. Learn more about Ms. Jolles and her work at this link.