A war-crimes trial that set a precedent before its verdict (Globe & Mail)

[struggle4progress]

Richard Dicker and Jayne Stoyles
Special to Globe and Mail Update, Thursday, May. 21, 2009 07:19PM EDT

The Quebec Superior Court will release its verdict today in the first case of a suspected war criminal to proceed in a Canadian court since four former Nazis were tried, unsuccessfully, in the 1990s.

Désiré Munyaneza was brought to court on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes on the basis of his alleged role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed an estimated 800,000 people in 100 days ...

The passage of Canada's new war-crimes legislation was a watershed moment, creating hope that Canada would build on its international reputation as a trail-blazer in international justice through renewed commitment to war crimes trials in its own courts ...

The Munyaneza trial is a critical contribution by the Canadian government and Canadian courts to the emerging system of international justice. When the verdict is announced today, regardless of the outcome, it is our hope that the case will be noteworthy for its global significance - and that it will not be remembered in future years as one of the few of its kind in Canada.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/a-war-crimes-trial-that-set-a-precedent-before-its-verdict/article1147397/