Parents of murdered NZer say rebel should be executed

The parents of a New Zealander killed by a Rwandan rebel while she was on a gorilla-watching trip say the man should be put to death.

Former Timaru woman Michelle Strathern, then 26, and Aucklander Rhonda Avis, 27, were among eight tourists killed along with their Ugandan tour guide in 1999 after being abducted in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on March 1.

A Ugandan court has now convicted Jean-Paul Bizimana, alias Xavier Van Dame, of the eight killings and Judge John Bosco Katutsi is planning to sentence him on Friday.

Ms Strathern's parents, Christchurch couple Jean and Peter Strathern today said Bizimana should be put to death.

"Justice will be served," Mrs Strathern said.

Mr Strathern said the death penalty would be appropriate.

"I'm pleased that he was tried in Uganda and not in New Zealand because it (the death penalty) wouldn't happen in New Zealand."

Mrs Strathern said the penalty was warranted as they had lost a daughter, who would now have been 33.

Michelle had been overseas since 1994, first working in Japan teaching English and then in London where she worked in IT support, and was on her way back to London when she stopped off in Africa hoping to see mountain gorillas -- inspired by the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist.

The Stratherns had just seen their daughter before the tragedy.

"She had been home for Christmas -- the first Christmas that we'd had for eight years altogether and on her way back went via Africa," Mrs Strathern said.

Michelle had seen the film during high school in Timaru and it had been a long-held dream to see gorillas in the wild.

Instead, along with Ms Avis and the rest of the tour group, she was attacked by about 100 people, believed to have been members of Rwandan Iterahamwe militias who fled Rwanda in 1994 after massacring almost a million minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus in a government-orchestrated genocide.

After killing a game warden by setting fire to him, the attackers abducted 14 of the tourists and killed eight of them.

The tourists were abducted at a camping ground on the edge of Bwindi National Park, the starting point for visitors hoping to see some of the over 300 rare mountain gorillas .

Mrs Strathern said the passing of the years had not made the family's loss any easier, as the trials and media attention meant they were continually reminded of what had happened.

Three other rebels were arrested in March 2003 and are to stand trial later this year in the United States over the killings of two Americans in the tour group.

Mr Strathern said that meant Bizimana's conviction was just the beginning.

It had been a source of frustration for the Stratherns that they heard through the media what was happening in the trial, rather than official channels.

Interpol tried to keep them up to date but they often heard about developments in the news first.

Mr and Mrs Strathern said they would probably go to the United States for the next trials.

Mrs Strathern hoped at least eight people would eventually be convicted of the killings -- one for each of the murdered tour group.

Bizimana should be put to death immediately.

"The sooner, the quicker and the better, because it's just going to drag on," Mrs Strathern said.

She agreed they were relieved with the verdict.

"We're not pleased -- we'll never be pleased."

Bizimana's lawyer Norris Maranga has said he planned to appeal the verdict.

"Justice has been made at this level, but we are not satisfied. Simply being part of the gang does not mean he carried out the killings."

The four people from Britain who died were Mark Lindgren, 23, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, Martin Friend, 24, from Orpington, Kent, Steven Roberts, 27, of Edinburgh, and Joanne Cotton, 28, from Essex.

Americans Rob Haubner and his wife, Susan Miller, were also killed.

- NZPA