Former Major Ntuyahaga wants to be transferred to Denmark

Former Rwandan Major Bernard Ntuyahaga wants to be transferred to Denmark where he has family, said Theo Francken, the Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum seekers on Thursday.

The former officer of the former Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) was sentenced in 2007 by the Assize Court of Brussels to twenty years in prison for his participation in the murder of the ten Belgian peacekeepers on April 7, 1994 in Kigali.

He has served his sentence and is in detention center in Belgium “for a return”.

However, he has submitted an asylum application to be decided by the General Commissariat for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA), Francken said earlier today.

The man also wants to be transferred to Denmark where his family members live.

In the context of the Dublin procedure, the Belgian authorities turned to their Danish counterparts to discuss with them to what extent this transfer is possible.

If this takes place, it will then be up to Denmark to decide on the asylum application.

Mr. Ntuyahaga will remain in a closed center during the proceedings, he said.

Mr Francken did not want to comment on the outcome of the asylum application because the CGRS is an independent body.

According to him, however, the answer should be negative since the applicant is a war criminal.

In the event of a negative response, the man must in principle be returned to Rwanda.

But the application of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights could hinder this expulsion if it appears that the ex-soldier risks being subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment upon his return.

“I want to be clear: this man is not at liberty and I will do everything in my power so that he will not be released on Belgian territory and be sent back to the place of residence where he comes from, “added the Secretary of State.