Nairobi - Switzerland said Wednesday it had refused a request to extradite a Rwandan national wanted in his own country for alleged genocide and war crimes, a statement said Wednesday.
"An extradition to Rwanda is impossible because of the situation in the state regarding human rights and because the suspicions put foward to support the request for extradition are not sufficiently backed up," said the Swiss government statement received by AFP here.
Sources said the suspect was a Rwandan government minister at the time of the 1994 genocide.
Last year the Rwandan ambassador to Switzerland presented the government with a formal extradition request.
"The facts in the extradition request are not sufficiently detailed to allow Switzerland to determine if the conditions for extradition are fulfilled," said the statement.
Other European countries have also refused extradition requests arguing that suspects cannot at present receive a fair trial in the country.
According to the United Nations, at least 800,000 people - mainly Tutsis - were slaughtered within a few weeks by extremist Hutus in the genocide. - Sapa-AFP