Jean Kambanda was born on 19th October 1955. With a diploma of an engineering school, he was the leader of the Rwanda Union of Popular Banks from May 1989 to April 1994. Vice President of the Democratic Republican Movement (MDR), he became Prime Minister of the caretaker government of Rwanda on 9th April 1994, two days after the bombing of President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane. Kambanda is married with two children.
Jean Kambanda's main role during the time he was Prime Minister consisted in intervening publicly in the name of the government. His penal responsibility was involved because of his direct participation in the crimes commission and also because he didn't intervene to stop them as he should have done in his quality of political official.
As far as his direct participation is concerned, Jean Kambanda is accused of handing out weapons and ammunition in the Butare and Gitarama prefectures being perfectly aware that these weapons would be used to perpetrate massacres against civilians. He also acknowledged the fact that he incited to commit massacres by supporting the broadcasted calls for murder and by distributing weapons and ammunition to the killers' militias.
As far as his indirect participation is concerned, Jean Kambanda is accused of abusing his authority and the civilian population's trust by omitting to take the necessary reasonable measures to prevent his subordinates from committing law and order violations. He presided several Ministers' councils during which the massacres were actively followed without doing anything to stop them.
Jean Kambanda is arrested in Nairobi, Kenya on 18th July 1997 and transferred to Arusha, to the International Penal Court for Rwanda on the same day.
