"The only proper sentence the accused deserves is life imprisonment. There are no mitigation factors on part of the accused. The evidence of good character is irrelevant before this Tribunal," said prosecutor Thembile Segoete when presenting her closing arguments.
She submitted that the prosecution has sufficiently proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ntawukulilyayo personally instigated and abetted the killings of thousands of Tutsi civilians at Kabuye Hill where he gathered soldiers and gendarmes for the purpose.
"The accused had command over the soldiers. He conveyed them to the hill and left after he had pointed to the place where the refugees were to be killed," the prosecutor told the Tribunal. However, defence counsel Dorothée Le Fraper du Hellen, asked the Tribunal to acquit the accused because his guilty has not been proved.
"The indictment is not substantiated by any solid evidence from prosecution witnesses. The evidence brought by the prosecution is not reliable, inconsistence and has discrepancies," she submitted.
In his part, Ntawukulilyayo expressed his confidence with the tribunal in quest for truth of the matter, claiming that he had no any conflict with Tutsis.
Ntawukulilyayo was arrested in France in 2007. He was transferred to the ICTR for trial on June 5, 2008.
FK/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency