MEDIA TRIAL RESUMES AFTER 10 DAYS OF INTERRUPTION

Arusha, March 12TH (FH) - The ongoing trial at the International CriminalTribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) of three people accused of using the media toincite the hatred and killing of ethnic Tutsis, will resume Thursday and, inan unprecedented move, will also meet over of the weekend at theInternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Trial Chamber One, which is hearing the socalled "media trial", has beenheld up for more than a week as each of the three judges were absent at onetime or another.

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The chamber last sat on March 3, 2003 and even then in the absence judgeEric Møse of Norway who was away. The next day it was judge Asoka de ZoysaGunawardana of Sri Lanka who was not available and has not sat since then. In the mean time, the presiding judge of the chamber, South AfricanNavanethem Pillay, was preparing to be sworn in as a judge of theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague. She was sworn in onTuesday. The trial will again be heard by two judges, but the office of the registrarhas put up special measures to help involve the absent judge. There will beno closed circuit television broadcasts as the court will be videorecordingprotected witnesses so that the judge can view the tapes later and give hisopinion. The trial brings together the former director of "Radio télévison libre demille collines" (RTLM), Nahimana Ferdinand, Hassan Ngeze, owner and editorof "Kangura" newspaper, and a former senior government official who was alsoon the board of directors of RTLM, Jean Bosco Barayagwiza. KN/CE/FH(ME'0312e)