Major events planned at the ICTR in October
By Hirondelle News Agency
Seven trials will be conducted at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
(ICTR) in October, notably that of Protais Zigiranyirazo, former Prefet
(Governor) of Ruhengeri (northern Rwanda) and a brother-in-law to former
president Juvenal Habyarimana.
Two other people on trial at the ICTR will begin their defence during the month
of October.
The first is Father Athanase Seromba's a catholic priest accused of
orchestrating the killings of about 2,000 members of his parish while the other
is a former government minister.
October 3: Beginning of Protais Zigiranyirazo's trial: Nicknamed Mr. "Z",
Zigiranyirazo, 67, is accused of five counts: conspiracy to commit genocide,
genocide or in the alternative, complicity in genocide and extermination and
murder as crimes against humanity.
"Z" was the Prefet (Governor) of Ruhengeri from 1974 to 1989.His sister, Agathe
Kanziga, was the wife of former president Juvenal Habyarimana whose
assassination on April 6, 1994 triggered off the genocide of Tutsis that claimed
an estimated one million lives. The Prosecutor intends to call 29 witnesses.
October 12: Resumption of the so-called "Military I" trial in which four senior
officers in the former Rwanda army are on trial, among them Colonel Theoneste
Bagosora who is described by the prosecution as being the "mastermind" of the
genocide. This joint trial opened April 2nd 2002.
The trial had been adjourned July 28. The defence will continue presenting its
witnesses when the trial resumes. It has already called 38 witnesses since it
began arguing its case. Lawyers for the defence have announced that they intend
to call a total of 203 witnesses.
The prosecutor closed his case October 15, 2004 after calling 82 witnesses.
The former Directeur de cabinet in the Rwandan ministry of defence, Col.
Theoneste Bagosora, is jointly tried with the former head of operations of the
Rwandan army Brigadier Gratien Kabiligi, the former commander of Gisenyi
(northwest Rwanda) military region Lieutenant-Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva, and
the former commander of the Kanombe Para-commando battalion bases in Kigali,
Major Aloys Ntabakuze.
All have pleaded not guilty to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
October 31: Beginning of defence case of Father Athanase Seromba, former priest
in charge of Nyange (Kibuye, western Rwanda) parish.
Fr. Seromba is first catholic priest to be charged with genocide. He is accused
of ordering the driver of a bulldozer to raze his church in which 2,000 of his
Tutsi parishioners had taken refuge.
His defence was supposed to have opened March 1, but it had to be put off
several times because either the defence was not ready, or Seromba was embroiled
in a row with his led counsel, Alfred Pognon from Benin.
Pognon was replaced by his co- counsel, Patrice Monthe from Cameroon.
Seromba intends to call between 25 and 30 witnesses in his defence. The
Prosecutor on his part called 12 witnesses.
October 31: The defence in the trial of former minister of primary and secondary
education Andre Rwamakuba also begins calling its witnesses.
The trial opened June 9 and the Prosecutor presented 18 witnesses.
Rwamakuba, a medical doctor by profession, is charged with the massacres of
Tutsis at a university hospital in Butare (southern Rwanda). According to
witnesses, Rwamakuba allegedly killed Tutsis with a hatchet that he used to
carry in his belt.
A pre trial status conference will be held October 25 to discuss pending matters
before the trial resumes. The prosecutor particularly wants to call a witness
who refused to testify in the past.
The ICTR will also continue to hear three other cases that have been going on
since last month: The so-
called Butare trial that includes the only woman indicted for genocide by the
ICTR. Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, former minister of gender is accused, among other
things, of rape.
The third case groups together four other senior military officers, including
the two chiefs-of-staff of the army and the gendarmerie (Para-military police)
General Augustin Bizimungu and Augustin Ndindiliyimana.
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