14.02.07 - ICTR/ BIKINDI - THE EXPERT RECOGNIZED TO HAVE PARTLY UNDERSTOOD WRONGLY BIKINDI’S MESSAGE

Arusha, 14February 2007 (FH) – A languages expert, before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) admitted on Wednesday to have understood wrongly the messages he analyzed from the songs of Simon Bikindi, accused for sensitizing genocide. The languages expert Jean de Dieu Karangwa, a Rwandan who introduced himself before the ICTR court as a lecturer at the Institute of Languages and Oriental Civilizations( INALCO) in Paris, France is testifying since Monday for the prosecutor in the case of Bikindi who was a composer and singer of popular music and director of the performance group of Irindiro Ballet. His case began since last September before ICTR. Jean de Dieu Karangwa has analysed three songs of Bikindi considered by the court to be the call made on Hutus to kill Tutsis during the 1994 genocide. «He does not catch the meaning of my message. It is not necessary to deliver oneself to an adventure situation, has protested Bikindi who conducted himself the cross- examination of the expert. The accused has been authorized to do so as he is not in good terms with the advocate in chief for his case and asked the court to step aside him. The artist, quite confident of himself in his Rwandan traditional suit alleged that the analysis made by the said expert was based on an incomplete text and contained errors that changed the whole meaning and context of the targeted message. Responding to the accused questions, the expert expressed his feelings saying that he suspects the evil intend to be on his person while Bikindi protested the titles attributed to his songs by the expert whom he thrown the effect of misinterpretation. The expert disagreed. The lecturer has before underlined the impact of songs through the public and estimated that the song is the most effective than a normal speech. “ In the oral context like that of Rwanda, the song has always been considered as a effective tool in propaganda and incitement of hatred especially since the independence in 1962. The song is easy to keep in mind than the speech with the same theme” declared Karangwa. Bikindi doubted of Karangwa’s opinion, revealed difficulties of understanding the real message he wanted to convey to the Rwandan community. The expert, at that point accepted that he had problems to make right interpretation of Bikindi’s texts. The ICTR interpreters themselves confirmed the complexity of those texts and refused to proceed as they fear misleading the chamber by the wrong interpretation. Karangwa stated that the journalist was commenting on those songs when broadcasting through RTLM and Rwandan radio without indicating if they were competent in such a practice. It is the unusual fact the accused to cross- examine a witness. However, before Bikindi, other three accused have been authorized by the judges to ask questions to witnesses including the accused Hassan Ngeze the journalist. The advocate in chief of Bikindi will proceed the cross examination after Bikindi. The court intends to assure an adequate representation of the accused. AT/PB/AS © Hirondelle News Agency