The first to be re-tried at the ICTR, the officer, 56, has one week to answer allegations he made in a speech one afternoon towards the end of May 1994 at Gikore commerce centre of Nyaruhengeri commune, in the prefecture of Butare (southern Rwanda).
According to the prosecutor, the message from the speech was interpreted by the exclusively Hutu audience as a call to exterminate the few Tutsis still alive in the area.
The new trial began on 17 June and the prosecutor rested his case 5 days later after having called 6 witnesses.
The opening of Muvunyi's defence will mark the resumption of the hearings at the ICTR after the summer judicial recess.
The former officer had been sentenced to 25 years in prison on 12 September 2006 after being found guilty of "genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and other inhuman acts".
On 29 August 2008, the Appeal Chamber had cancelled the guilty verdicts as well as the sentence, and had ordered a new trial for "direct and public incitement to commit genocide", related to the Gikore speech.
According to the prediction of the Chamber, the verdict of the trial is expected before the end of the year.
ER/MM/NI/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency