KLM LOSES PRISONER'S LUGGAGE

Arusha, March 10, 2000(FH) - New UN detainee Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda appeared in court on Friday, complaining that his luggage had been lost during his transfer from France, and that he was suffering from anxiety. "I have not been able to compare the indictment yet with the one I was given in France," former Rwandan minister Kamuhanda told the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

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"They lost my luggage and I haven't got it back yet. You should know that I have been in a state of stress, with my blood pressure going up to 16, which has never happened before. "Kamuhanda was appearing before Russian Judge Yakov Ostrovsky for an initial appearance, following his transfer from France on Tuesday. However, Ostrovsky postponed the appearance to a later date on the grounds that the accused was not ready to plead, and that the Prosecutor also needed to redact the indictment. This has been promised for Monday morning, while Kamuhanda is also due to meet his Tanzanian duty counsel Bharat Chadha on Monday. Asked if he had any questions, Kamuhanda asked the judge to reassure him he would get a fair trial, and whether the Tribunal could help recover his lost luggage. Judge Ostrovsky referred the matter of the luggage to the court registry. Kamuhanda was Minister of Culture and Higher Education in the Rwandan interim government that presided over the 1994 genocide. He is charged with genocide, or, in the alternative, complicity in genocide; conspiracy to commit genocide, direct incitement to genocide; and crimes against humanity. He was arrested in the French town of Bourges on November 26th, on a warrant from the ICTR. This was the first such arrest in France and the first time the French authorities have transferred a suspect to the ICTR. French justice ministry officials told Hirondelle later that the Dutch airline KLM had now found the prisoner's luggage, and that he should get it back shortly. They said they had done everything necessary, and that the responsibility had been entirely KLM's. The prisoner was brought on a commercial flight from Paris to Amsterdam, and then from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. The French officials, who are specialized in prisoner transfers, explained that such operations are done discreetly so as not to upset other passengers or to draw attention. The prisoner is normally taken on to the 'plane first and off last. His handcuffs are removed once he is on the 'plane. JC/FH (KH%0310e)