One of the last major suspects in the massacres of ethnic Tutsis

The trial of Felicien Kabuga for his possible role in the Rwandan genocide resumes

• Kabuga pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

  AFP

• One of Kabuga's lawyers speaks to the court's attorney general.

  AFP

picture

Felicien Kabuga, who is suspected of participating in financing the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, played a "major" role in the massacres of ethnic Tutsis, according to what the prosecution saw at the opening of his trial Thursday in The Hague.

The attorney general, Rashid S.

Rashid, before the United Nations Special Tribunal for Rwanda: “28 years after these events, this trial aims to hold Felicien Kabuga accountable for his significant and premeditated role in this genocide.”

The 87-year-old former businessman was absent from Thursday's session, after he appeared weak and in a wheelchair during a session last August.

Kabuga, one of the last major suspects in the massacres that tore the country apart, was one of Rwanda's richest citizens in 1994. He is on trial for putting his wealth and networks at the service of the genocide that claimed more than 800,000 lives, according to the United Nations, most of them from the Tutsi minority.

In 1994 Kabuga was president of the Free Transmission Mill "Mel Cullen" (RTLM), which made calls for the killing of Tutsis.

Kabuga was arrested on May 16, 2020 in a suburb of Paris, after being on the run for 25 years, and is accused, in particular, of participating in the creation of the Interahamwe militia, the main armed arm of the Hutu regime that committed the massacres.

weapons batches

"To support the genocide, Kabuga did not need to carry a weapon or a cleaver at a checkpoint, but rather provided weapons extensively and facilitated the training that qualified Interahamwe to use them," the prosecutor said.

He added, "He did not need to use a radio to call for the extermination of the Tutsi through the radio. Rather, he founded, financed and was the head of the Free Transmission Foundation (RTLM), which was broadcasting propaganda motivating the genocide throughout Rwanda."

The trial began with preliminary pleadings, followed by the presentation of evidence, starting from the fifth of October.

In particular, he was charged with genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity, including persecution and murder.

He pleaded his innocence during his first court appearance in 2020.

His lawyers sought to spare him a trial due to his health.

However, in mid-June, the trial chamber of the UN Tribunal decided that Felicien Kabuga, 87, was in a position to stand trial.

Twenty-eight years after the genocide, this trial is very much awaited in Rwanda, especially in his hometown of Nyange, northwest of Kigali.

Born into a family of farmers, Kabuga began his career as a traveling salesman, before becoming a wealthy businessman who owns several tea plantations in his town and surrounding area.

"We are looking forward to this trial, because it is late," Anastase Kamizinkonze, a staff member of the Rwandan Genocide Survivors' Association (Ibuka), told AFP.

The prosecution will present more than 50 witnesses during this trial.

The Special Tribunal for Rwanda has handed down 62 guilty verdicts.

Kabuga is one of the last major suspects in the Rwandan genocide to be brought to trial.

Others, such as Augustin Bizimana, one of the chief architects of these massacres, and Protai Mpiranya, the former commander of the Presidential Guard battalion in the Rwandan armed forces, died and were never brought before an international court.

Despite the charges against him, Kabuga still has support in his hometown.

“He was paying us seriously,” says Alphonsif Musingimana, 35, who worked as a child alongside members of her family on Kabuga's farms.

Kabuga was arrested on May 16, 2020 in a suburb of Paris, after being on the run for 25 years, and is accused in particular of participating in the establishment of the Interahamwe militia, the main armed arm of the Hutu regime that committed the massacres.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news