Rwanda: the defense speaks on the 2nd day of the trial of the alleged genocidaire Félicien Kabuga
A photo of Félicien Kabuga from a video recording of the UN Mechanism for the latest cases of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, during a hearing in The Hague, August 18, 2022. AFP - HANDOUT
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
On the second day of his trial, Félicien Kabuga again refused to appear before the judges of the UN Mechanism in charge of the last cases of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
The accused of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Rwanda in 1994 says he no longer trusts his lawyer.
The judges have for several months refused his dismissal.
After the statements of the prosecutor Thursday, September 29, the defense of the businessman spoke on Friday.
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With our correspondent in The Hague,
Stéphanie Maupas
The accused has once again given up appearing at the hearing, claiming not to trust his lawyer.
Maître Emmanuel Altit nevertheless defended his client in court.
Félicien Kabuga was not the editor-in-chief of Radio-Television des Mille Collines.
He was a “ daring
” entrepreneur
, said the lawyer, who was involved in the creation of the country's first commercial radio station.
If he sought to collect funds to find weapons, it was in the context of the war opposing the Rwandan Patriotic Front to the power in place, further defended Mr. Altit.
►
To read also: The trial of Félicien Kabuga, alleged Rwandan genocidaire, opens in The Hague
The lawyer criticized the prosecutor for wanting to overlook this war and ignoring the context in which the genocide took place.
“
It is through an approach devoid of passions and
preconceptions
that we can restore the complexity of the events and the humanity of the protagonists and that we can honor the memory of the victims.
This is the condition for being able to examine each incident with the necessary perspective.
Understand the logic and determine the role and responsibility of those who participated.
And that requires that we be interested in the genesis of events, not that we build
a posteriori
a narrative tailor-made to accuse a man.
And in this context of war, the behavior of Félicien Kabuga takes on another color.
He is no longer a warlord, he is a businessman, caught up in the chaos of his time, and that is what we will show
”.
The trial has been adjourned until October 5, when the prosecutor's first witness will be called - a protected witness who will testify under a pseudonym.
►
To read also: The alleged genocidaire Félicien Kabuga absent on the first day of his trial
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