Gorillas in the mist murder suspect faces genocide trial

A Belgian judge today upheld a UN arrest warrant against a Rwandan man facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The ruling in Brussels by Judge Damien Vandermeersch means Protais Zigiranyirazo who also allegedly was involved in the murder of US gorilla expert Dian Fossey will be transferred to the UN war crimes tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, where the trials are being held.

Tribunal officials now have 90 days to supply the necessary paperwork for his transfer, said Jos Colpin, spokesman for the Brussels prosecutors’ office.

According to the London-based Africa Rights group, Zigiranyirazo allegedly was associated with a group called Network Zero, which organised and protected death squads that began operating in Rwanda in 1992, setting the stage for the violence that followed. He is said to have been responsible for widespread killings.

In addition to the genocide charges, Zigiranyirazo also has been implicated in the 1985 murder of Fossey in a book, Murder in the Mist: Who Killed Dian Fossey? by Nicholas Gordon.

Fossey, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver in the film Gorillas in the Mist, was working to save rare mountain gorillas from poachers when she was mysteriously murdered in her mountain hut on Rwanda’s border with Uganda and Congo.

According to Gordon’s book, Zigiranyirazo was allegedly involved in illegal trading in endangered species and diplomats believe Fossey was about to expose him.

The FBI is reported to be seeking to interview Zigiranyirazo in Belgium about Fossey’s death.