10.06.11 - ICTR/NGIRABATWARE - NGIRABATWARE TRIAL RESUMES MONDAY

Arusha, June 10, 2011 (FH) - The trial of former Rwandan Planning Minister, Augustin Ngirabatware, who is charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, resumes on Monday before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

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Ngirabatware, who completed giving his own evidence on February 15, 2011, is expected to continue presenting his defence case. The defence is projecting to call 60 witnesses out of 96 it had earlier proposed.

The former minister, who allegedly launched appeals to kill Tutsis during numerous meetings in his home region in 1994, is charged with genocide, crimes and or in the alternative conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and extermination and rape as crimes against humanity.

He hails from what used to be the Nyamyumba district Gisenyi prefecture (North of Rwanda). He is the son-in-law of Felicien Kabuga, the alleged sponsor of the 1994 genocide, who is still on the run.

Ngirabatware fled Rwanda in July 1994 and subsequently worked in various research institutes in Gabon and France. He was arrested in Germany on September 17, 2007 and has been in ICTR custody since October 8, 2008.

On the same Monday, there would also be resumption of special deposition proceedings in the case involving Kabuga, who is charged with 11 counts of conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, complicity in genocide and direct and public incitement to commit genocide.

The most wanted genocide fugitive is also facing charges of crimes against humanity for murder, extermination, rape, persecution and inhuman acts and other charges of war crimes.

FK/ER/GF

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