PROSECUTION BRINGS TWENTY-FIFTH WITNESS

Arusha, July 4, 2001 (FH) - The trial of three suspects accused of using the media to fuel Rwanda's 1994 genocide resumed on Wednesday with the testimony of the 25th prosecution witness. This comes after several recent adjournments after prosecution witness either refused or were unable to testify at the last moment.

1 min 5Approximate reading time

The witness, dubbed "SA" to protect his identity, was a technician at Radio Rwanda when one of the accused, Ferdinand Nahimana, was its director from the end of 1990 to the beginning of 1992. SA told the court that his former boss had discriminated against Tutsis at the workplace For example, the witness cited three Tutsis whom he said Nahimana had fired. He said a fellow technician in charge of a travelling studio was also transferred to another post because he was Tutsi. After leaving the state media body ORINFOR, which manages Radio Rwanda, Nahimana became one of the promoters of Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM). The witness claimed that RTLM was installed by two technicians from Radio Rwanda, who were his friends. He said he had learned this from them in a discussion about the technical difficulties they encountered. "SA" told the court that RTLM had a 100-watt transmitter which could reach the whole of the capital Kigali, part of Bugesera (south of Kigali) and part of Kibungo to the east. He said RTLM also had a less powerful transmitter installed on Mount Muhe (western Rwanda) which allowed broadcast to parts of Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Gitarama and Kibuye. The Prosecutor aims to show that RTLM incited Hutus to genocide against the Tutsi minority in 1994. Nahimana is jointly accused with former politician and RTLM board member Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza and former "Kangura" newspaper editor Hassan Ngeze. AT/JC/MBR/FH (ME0704E)