Pascal Makuza, 17 years old in 1994, was prosecuted for complicity in the murders of 72 people from the coffee shop of Nyakabanda in Kigali.
In his non-guilty plea, the defendant admitted to wearing a uniform and in possession of firearms, but denied his status as a soldier categorically. He also rejected any responsibility or complicity in deaths.
During the proceedings, which lasted nearly four hours, six witnesses testified for the prosecution.
According to them, the victims were on board a bus chartered by Colonel Tharcisse Renzaho, then Governor of Kigali, during the genocide and now on trial at the ICTR in Arusha.
SRE/DC/MM/SC
© Hirondelle News Agency