Nshamihigo, a former Rwandan Deputy Prosecutor, was sentenced on 24 September to life for his participation in the 1994 genocide. His lead counsel, Denis Turcotte (Canada), shortly afterwards announced his intention to appeal.
On the day of the conviction, a summary of the judgment was made available by the President of the Chamber, Judge Dennis Byron, assisted by his two judges, Gustave Kam and Robert Fremr. The text, however, was only in English,(the defendant and his defenders are Francophone speakers), was made available on the website of the Tribunal a few days later.
Three weeks later --and a week before the expiration of the appeal deadline-- full text of the judgment has not been communicated to the defendant nor even to his defenders, and even less to the public.Never has the delay between the announcement and the publication been so lengthy.
PB/MM/SC
© Hirondelle News Agency
