UPDATED: A United Nations court (ICTR) in Tanzania is seeking the extradition of Charles Bandora, who was arrested in Norway on charges of genocide in his homeland of Rwanda.
The ruling reverses an earlier decision and was based on changes in the legal system in Rwanda that the court feels will ensure that Bandora gets a fair trial, reports newspaper Aftenposten. The UN court also said it would step in if Rwanda’s legal system fails to meet expectations.
Norwegian prosecutor Marit Formo said the ICTR decision was in line with what she argued in a local court, that there was legal foundation for extraditing Bandora back to Rwanda. His defense attorney, Harald Stabell, disagrees. He argues that neither the UN nor Norwegian legal authorities can monitor Bandora’s situation after an extradition.
A response from the Norwegian court system to the extradition request was expected later this week and had arrived by Thursday. It ruled that Bandora, who arrived in Norway with a false passport last year, could be sent back to Rwanda. Stabell said the ruling would be appealed.
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