Peter Erlinder is a human rights lawyer and law professor in William Mitchell College of Law in St Paul, Minnesota, and works as the lead defense counsel for top genocide suspects at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania.

Further Information

Peter Erlinder arrived in Kigali on 23 May 2010 to defend Victoire Ingabire, candidate for the next presidential elections in August 2010. She is accused of denying the genocide, collaborating with a terrorist organisation and inciting ethnic hatred.

Peter Erlinder was arrested on Friday 28 May 2010 for denying the 1994 genocide, according to the public Prosecutor and the police.

Under a 2003 law, persons condemned for denying or grossly minimising genocide, attempting to justify genocide or destroy evidence related to it are liable to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 in prison.

The arrest comes days after the U.S. government expressed concerns about freedom of expression in the country ahead of August presidential polls, following similar criticism by international rights groups.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson affirmed that "in a period of months, the Government of Rwanda has suspended two newspapers, revoked the work permit and denied the visa of a Human Rights Watch researcher, and arrested (and subsequently released on bail) opposition leader Victoire Ingabire".