Lawyers have condemned the arrest of a US colleague who is representing a defendant before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and called for his immediate release.

Peter Erlinder is the lead counsel in the defence of Major Aloys Ntabakuze at the ICTR in Arusha, Tanzania, and president of the Rwanda Tribunal Defence Bar. He was arrested on 28 May during a visit to Rwanda and charged with genocide denial and minimisation. Prosecutors claim the charge is based, in part, on statements made by him on behalf of Ntabakuze during his client’s defence before the ICTR. He remains in custody and has been denied bail.

Jo Cooper, chairman of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates, said: ‘If the leader of the Defence Bar in the Rwanda Tribunal can be subject to this arbitrary arrest, then no lawyer in the international tribunals can be sure they will not be subject to similar pressure.’

The International Defence Attorneys Association said it condemned Erlinder’s arrest in ‘the strongest possible terms’.