Arusha — The potential repeal of capital punishment in Rwanda would only apply to cases transferred to Rwanda by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

This was clarified to Hirondelle News agency Monday by Rwanda's representative to the ICTR, Alloys Mutabingwa.

The Rwandan diplomat had early this week evoked this possibility but made it clear that discussions on the subject were yet to take place.

"It will be one of the matters for discussion leading to a transfer agreement", stated Mutabingwa adding that the consensus between the government of Rwanda and the ICTR "will only apply to cases due to be transferred".

The maximum sentence a person convicted by the ICTR for genocide is life in prison while in Rwanda is the death penalty.

One of the conditions to be met by countries willing to host detainees is that they should meet United Nations standards.

"Rwanda meets the set standards and this is evidenced by a joint report issued by an ICTR delegation and the government of Rwanda", announced the Rwandan envoy. He added that the treatment of prisoners "will conform to internationally accepted standards".

The tribunal recently announced that it was about to transfer 45 cases to national jurisdictions, Rwanda included. Discussions to transfer convicted by the ICTR to serve their sentences in Rwanda are also on the agenda. Mutabingwa pointed out that 17 out of the 20 conditions have already been met.