Virginia Mukankusi
Virginia Mukankusi was found guilty of physically and psychologically
torturing Rwandan Tutsis before executing them. On the 24th May 1998
she was driven in a van along with three others to a place of public execution
and shot. After arriving she waited for 15 minutes in the back of
a van before being led out and tied to a specially prepared post.
There were four posts and she was secured to the last. She was lashed
securely around her wrists, around her chest and the post, her hips and
the post and her shins and the post to prevent her body crumpling after
execution. A crowd estimated at 100,000 witnessed. She was
blidfolded and, along with the others had a white bib with a black target
placed over her breast. The condemned were made to wait for ten minutes
in this state before the firing squad jumped out of a van and qickly shot
them in sequence. On being shot, Mukanski's body jerked and her blindfold
slipped free. It was noted that her lips were still moving some time
later when the captain delivered the coup de grace and fired a pistol round
directly into her face.
[A Rojo, Justice is Revenge..., Guardian 25/04/98]
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