UNR, at the time the nation's intellectual hub, is located in the provincial town of Butare, in the south of Rwanda. The forty-five scholars are accused of having played a role in the massacre of Tutsis on and off campus in 1994, indicates the newspaper.
Several academics from UNR, including former vice-provost, Jean-Berchmans Nshimyumurenmyi, have already been convicted for their role in the genocide.
M. Nshimyumurenmyi, who lives in exile, has been tried and sentenced in absentia.
The gacaca courts - from the Rwandese word for "lawn" to highlight the public procedure - are not presided over by professional magistrates, but by village dignitaries. They have already tried more than a million people, with the notable exception of "planifiers at the national level", and are expected to complete their work by the end of this year.
ER/GF