PROSECUTION WITNESS FALLS SICK AFTER SHORT CROSS-EXAMINATION

Arusha, April 21, 2004 (FH)- A prosecution witness in the trial of four senior officers of the former Rwandan army (ex-FAR) being heard at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), on Wednesday fell ill after a short cross-examination. The witness code-named "KJ" to protect his identity is the 56th prosecution witness to testify at the Tribunal.

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His testimony touched mainly on one of the accused Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, who was the former director of Cabinet in the Rwandan Ministry of Defence. KJ was cross-examined in the afternoon session by Paul Skolnik (Canada), Bagosora's co-counsel regarding the routes they used in April, 1994 when he had escorted a certain major Jabo from Kibuye (Western Rwanda) to collect supplies in Kigali. Shortly after the witness completed indicating the locations he was asked to identify on the given map he said, "I am not feeling well and I would like the chamber to shorten my evidence and I continue another day". During his testimony, the witness was not very cooperative in answering the questions and presiding Judge Erik Mose had to intervene and request the witness answer some questions. At one point the defence counsel spent about twenty minutes urging the witness to indicate where the parliamentary buildings are situated and marking them with the sign CND. The CND is the parliament building in Kigali, but the witness argued differently. The trial has been adjourned until Thursday afternoon. The next witness expected to testify is AL. The prosecution expects to bring at least 10 more witnesses to testify. The presiding Judge Erik Mose also announced that there will be no trial on Friday this week following plenary sessions of all judges and on Monday the 26th of April because of a public holiday. Colonel Theoneste Bagosora is co-accused with the former head of military operations of the army, General Gratien Kabiligi, the former army commander of Gisenyi region, Lieutenant Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva, and Major Aloys Ntabakuze, former commander of Kanombe Para-military battalion based in Kigali. All four have pleaded not guilty to charges of, among others, genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trial is being heard in Trial Chamber One of the ICTR composed of Judge Erik Møse from Norway, Judge Serguei Aleckseievich Egorov from Russia, and Judge Jai Ram Reddy of Fiji. SV/KN/JA/GF/FH (ML''0421e)