14.01.11 - ICTR/WEEKLY SUMMARY - TRIAL RESUMES AT ICTR WITH DAUGHTER TESTIFYING FOR HER FATHER

Arusha, January 14, 2011 (FH) - Resumption of trial of two former top officials of then Rwandan ruling party, MRND, Mathieu Ngirumpatse and Edouard Karemera is the only case which was heard before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) this week.

Ngirumpatse, the president of the party, called three witnesses, including his daughter, Delphine, who testified on Monday, claiming that her father neither made anti-Tutsis statements nor called for their extermination in Rwanda.

According to the daughter, her father neither was a regionalist nor an extremist as, she claimed, was a man of integrity guided with principles of respect for life, truthful and loyalty and  he never chose a friend on ethnicity grounds.

Other witnesses, who testified for Ngirumpatse were Malien Habyarimana, former Director General of Technical Coordination with Transport and Communications Ministry in Rwanda and Innocent Nzabona, former official with the Rwandan Central Intelligence Services.

The trial continues Monday when Ngirumpatse is expected to take the floor to start testifying on his own defence. On the same day, there will be three other trials, including that of former Rwandan Planning Minister Augustin Ngirabatware, who will continue giving his own defence evidence.

Other cases include resumption of trial of former Mayor of Kivumu Commune in Kibuye Prefecture (western Rwanda), Grégoire Ndahimana, who is expected to start presenting his defence case, while the prosecution will start calling witnesses in the case of former Rwandan military officer, Captain Idephonse Nizeyimana.

FK/NI/ER/GF

© Hirondelle News Agency

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