U.N. genocide court jails Rwandan attorney for life

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Former deputy prosecutor Simeon Nchamihigo was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for his role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, a United Nations court said.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) found Nchamihigo guilty on charges of genocide, murder and crimes against humanity.

The Arusha-based court said that in April 1994 Nchamihigo, a former deputy prosecutor in Cyangugu prefecture, told Interahamwe militia to find and kill Tutsis and other civilians who were accomplices of the Rwandan Patriotic Front.

In the 100 days of slaughter about 800,000 mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.

ICTR said Nchamihigo attended security meetings in his prefecture, at which some of the killings were planned.

"Among the aggravating factors in this case, the Chamber notes that ... Nchamihigo ... was in a prominent public position of trust, yet he exhibited zeal in the perpetration of these grave crimes," the court said in a statement.

Nchamihigo was arrested in 2001 in Tanzania. At his first appearance in court, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Nchamihigo's sentencing brings to 33 the number of judgments the ICTR has delivered since it began work in 1997. Five of these were acquittals.

The court has until the end of this year to wind up all its cases and until 2010 to complete all appeals. The ICTR's critics, including Rwanda, have accused it of inefficiency, while others say it is slow and costly.

The U.N. general assembly is to discuss any extension of the court's mandate at its current meeting in New York.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa)