A court in Rwanda has sentenced two Roman Catholic priests to death for their role in the genocide of 1994, in which up to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.

It is the first time churchmen have been sentenced to death in Rwanda over the genocide.

The priests were convicted of involvement in two massacres.

In one, they were accused of organising the killing of about 2,000 Tutsis by bulldozing the church in which they were sheltering at Nyange in the western Kibuye region. The bulldozer driver was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Pope John Paul said the priests must be made to account for their actions

Different sections of the Rwandan church have been widely accused of playing an active role in the genocide of 1994 but this is the first time priests have been sentenced to death inside Rwanda.

Pope John Paul II has emphasised that Catholic priests implicated in the killings must be made accountable for their actions.

Rwandan courts have so far convicted about 300 people of genocide-related crimes, but there have yet to be any executions. The European Union recently appealed for all death sentences to be commuted to terms of imprisonment.

More than 120,000 people are still awaiting trial.

The UN is holding separate trials in neighbouring Tanzania and the first verdict is expected later this year.
 

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