FOURTH PROSECUTION WITNESS COMPLETES TESTIMONY

Arusha, December 5, 2003 (FH) – The fourth prosecution witness in the trial of four former Rwandan cabinet ministers completed his testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Friday. The trial known as Government II involves Casimir Bizimungu, former minister for health, former minister of Foreign Affairs Jérôme Bicamumpaka, that of Commerce, Justin Mugenzi and Prosper Mugiraneza, former minister of Public Service.

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They are each charged with six counts including genocide and crimes against humanity. The fourth witness, code-named FW to keep his identity secret, has been testifying since Tuesday. His testimony touched mainly on Mugenzi and hisactivities as the chairman of Liberal Party in 1994. He claimed that Mugenzi had made inciting statements asking Hutus to kill all Tutsis. The final cross-examination on FW was done by Bizimungu's lead counsel Michelyne Chénard Saint-Laurent (Canada). The defence attorney sought to know from the witness if he heard Rwandan President Paul Kagame's speech on radio Muhabura on April 12th 1994 in which he said that he would kill all Hutus in Kigali. FW answered that he never heard Kagame making the declarations on radio. He added that Kagame would not have said such words because he had the support of some Hutus. The fifth prosecution witness named GPK began testifying shortly before the trial was adjourned to Monday . GPK will continue with his chief evidence on Monday. The trial is before Trial Chamber Two where Judge Asoka de Zoyza Gunawardana (Sri Lanka) is presiding assisted by judges Lee Muthoga (Kenya) and Khalida Rashid Khan (Pakistan). PJ/CE/FH (GVII'1205e)