MEDIA TRIAL POSTPONED TO MONDAY

Arusha, May, 29, 2001 (FH) - The trial of three accused charged before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) with using the media to incite the 1994 genocide in Rwanda has been postponed to Monday. The trial was postponed to give way for a plenary session of ICTR judges Wednesday and Thursday and two judgments on appeal to be delivered in Arusha on Friday.

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The so-called Media Trial groups former director of Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) Ferdinand Nahimana, former politician and RTLM board member Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza and former editor of the extremist newspaper "Kangura", Hassan Ngeze. The three are charged with several counts of genocide, public incitement to commit genocide, complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. At the time of postponement, the court was hearing the cross-examination of protected witness 'GO', dubbed as such to protect his identity. The witness started testifying in April but could not complete his testimony due to professional commitments. He has since his return on Monday been responding to questions from defence counsel on his testimony. Witness 'GO' testified mainly on two meetings held on November 26th, 1993 and February 10th, 1994 between the Ministry of Information and the management of RTLM to discuss "growing concern that RTLM was broadcasting messages of ethnic hatred". He also said that the meetings were held to warn RTLM about its broadcasts which violated the Arusha peace accord. 'GO' was formerly an employee of the Ministry of Information. He attended both meetings and took the minutes. Nahimana's defence lawyer Jean-Marie Biju-Duval of France put it to GO that his client could not have opposed the August 1993 Arusha peace accords as he had been appointed to a ministerial post in the transitional government to be set up under that accord (the government was never set up). Biju-Duval produced documents to show Nahimana's appointment to the transition government. "I didn't know that Nahimana was a member of the transitional government," GO replied. "He was introduced to both meetings as director of RTLM. All I can say is that he never showed any respect for the Arusha peace accord. "Cross-examination of witness 'GO' will continue on Monday with Barayagwiza's defence team. The Trial is being heard by Trial Chamber One of the ICTR, composed of Judges Navanethem Pillay of South Africa (presiding), Erik Mose of Norway and Asoka de Zoysa Gunawardana of Sri Lanka. GG/JC/FH(ME0529e)