A 37-year-old Windsor man appeared before a judge in Ottawa Saturday facing charges of participating in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Jacques Mungwarere is the second person ever charged under the Canadian Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, which became law in 2000.

He was arrested on Friday afternoon and will remain in custody until Nov. 12.

End of six-year investigation

A tip from a "concerned citizen" in 2003 prompted the investigation, said a sergeant with the RCMP, who added that war crimes are among the more complex the force undertakes.

"The investigators in this -- they are the ones doing all the legwork, and it's not easy in areas that are often very dangerous," said Sgt. Marc Menard, a media relations officer.

"There are barriers around linguistic and cultural issues; they have difficulty obtaining evidence."

In this case, five investigators conducted interviews with several witnesses in Canada, the United States and Rwanda before laying the charges.

The Rwandan government provided logistical support, particularly in helping the Canadians locate people with information about the case, Menard said.

War crimes cases

The prosecution is being handled by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, which carries out criminal federal jurisdiction cases that fall under the federal attorney-general's mandate.

When convicted, war crime participants face any of numerous penalties:

  • denial of their visa;
  • extradition to their home country;
  • being disqualified from refugee protection;
  • facing an international tribunal.

The war crimes program is a joint initiative of the Canada Border Services Agency, the Department of Justice and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Previous convicted person in prison

Last charged under the war crimes act was Desire Munyaneza, who was sentenced in October 2009 to life in prison without parole for 25 years.

Neither case was connected, said Menard, except that they both were part of the 1994 genocide, which saw an estimated 800,000 to million Tutsi and Hutu people killed by the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front.

"All these (federal) agencies have to work together to bring this before the court, and we really don't want people who commit such offences to see Canada as a safe haven," said Menard.

"With all these partners, we are able to ensure there are remedies or mechanisms in place to make sure these people don't seek refuge in Canada."