The All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa (APPG) is calling for a strengthening of UK legislation after a high court judgment raised the prospect of suspected genocidaires walking free in the UK.

The April 8 High Court ruling blocked the extradition of four men suspected of involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide - one day after the 15th anniverasary of the start of the massacres was commemorated around the world. With the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda no longer accepting cases, the ruling means the four men are unlikely to face trial.

Under current legislation, suspects cannot face justice in the UK for even the worst acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed abroad unless they took place after the passing of the 2001 International Criminal Court Act. This includes those suspected in some of the most brutal crimes of the last century, including the Rwandan genocide and the conflicts in Yugoslavia and Cambodia.

The APPG on the Great Lakes Region of Africa is working with parliamentary colleagues and the Aegis Trust to see that the law is changed as a matter of urgency, if necessary through a Private Members’ Bill currently under preparation.

APPG Chair Eric Joyce MP and other MPs met with the Home Secretary at the time the four Rwandan suspects were arrested to discuss changes to legislation, receiving an assurance that legislation would be seriously considered if extradition failed. Eric Joyce called on the UK government to now lend its support to changes in the law to close the loophole, saying:

 In addition to making the jurisdiction of the ICC act retrospective, the APPG chair called for a removal of the residency requirement for prosecution that currently means genocide suspects who visit the UK for short periods cannot be arrested – and urged the government to consider re-establishing a permanent war crimes unit to pursue cases systematically.    

This statement was originally made as a press release on 10 April 2009