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Prosecution
claims mother, son raped and killed Tutsis
By
Hirondelle
Pauline Nyiramasuhuko
The
prosecution claimed Monday before the International Criminal Tribunal
for Rwanda (ICTR) that six accused persons, including a mother and her
son, supported the mass killings of mostly ethnic Tutsis in Butare,
southern Rwanda, during the 1994 genocide.
‘’The
Butare six heeded the call of then Interim President (Theodore
Sindikubwabo) to exterminate ethnic Tutsis[in Butare],’’ Holo Makwaia,
told the three-bench judges when presenting prosecution’s oral
arguments.
Citing
an example, she said four defendants including, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko,
then Minister for Family and Women Affairs—and the only woman arrested
for genocide before the UN Court; ex-Butare Governors Sylvain Nsabimana
and Alphonse Nteziryayo; Joseph Kanyabashi, ex- Mayor of Ngoma Commune,
all fully attended and applauded a meeting on 19 April, 1994, in which
the interim president incited killings of Tutsis.
During
the speech, Sindikubwabo exhorted the crowd to fight Inyenzi
(cockroaches, meaning Tutsis), stressed the Tanzanian trial attorney.
The
other accused, who, however, did not participate in that meeting, but
actively participated in the planned killing-spree later, were Arsene
Shalom Ntahobali, alleged Interahamwe militia leader and son of
Nyiramasuhuko, and Elie Ndayambaje, a former Mayor of Muganza commune.
‘’Pauline was in charge of pacification campaign which meant killing the
Tutsis,’’ Makwaia charged, adding: ‘’ Shalom was not very far from
following his mother’s foot steps as he was a killer and rapist.’’
Another
prosecuting counsel, Madeleine Schwarz, who dwelt specifically on
Nyiramasuhuko’s participation, said that the defendant was instrumental
in giving orders to his son, Shalom, Interahamwe militia and soldiers to
abduct, rape and ultimately kill Tutsi girls, women and men.
‘’Instead of protecting the desperate families [ as designated to her
ministry], Pauline decided to exterminate the families,’’ Schwarz
argued.
She
cited several prosecution witnesses to support her arguments. They all,
according to her, testified how abductions, rapes and killings
occurred, including at the prefecture office, Butare University Teaching
Hospital, Anglican Primary School (EER) and roadblocks.
Another
prosecuting counsel, Lansana Dumbuya, pointed out how Shalom raped Tutsi
women and later invited the notorious interahamwe militiamen to continue
the serial rapes.
The
attorney, quoting a protected witness dubbed “FX”, stated how the
accused abducted a Tutsi girl from a road block near his house, dragged
her to a nearby bridge, raped and finally hacked her to death with an
axe.
The
prosecution will continue with closing arguments Tuesday.
The
trial , the longest and the largest, opened in June 2001.
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