The ICTR president, Judge Khalida Rachid Khan said the judgement in the case involving four former Rwandan Ministers, Casimir Bizimungu (Health), Prosper Mugiraneza, (Public Service), Jérome Bicamumpaka (Foreign Affairs) and Justin Mugenzi (Trade), would be deliver in August this year.
She also pointed out that judgement for other three cases would be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year. They include that of former top officials of then Rwandan ruling party, MRND, Matthieu Ngirumpatse, who was President and his Vice-President, Edouard Karemera.
Others involve former Mayor of Kivumu Commune in Kibuye prefecture, Western Rwanda, Grégoire Ndahimana and that of ex-Youth Minister Callixte Nzabonimana.
Whereas the prosecutor of the Tribunal, Hassan Bubacar Jallow, announced that he was planning to file in the months ahead five additional requests for transfer of cases to national jurisdictions for trial.
He said he had visited a number of European states in April this year and held discussions with senior officials to encourage their governments to consider accepting cases for trial from the ICTR.
On his part, the ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo presented his report on the situation of Darfur, in Western Sudan. He said crimes against humanity and genocide continue unabated in Darfur as air attacks on civilians and direct killings continued during the last six months.
He said direct targeting of villages continues, still causing further displacements and President Omar Al Bashir has learned how to continue to commit crimes, challenging the authority of the UN Security Council, and ignoring Resolution 1593, aswell as other resolutions.
The prosecutor further said Al-Bashir did not stop the commission of the genocide, but he is blocking the dissemination of information about the fate of those displaced and his supporters continue denying the crimes, attributing them to other factors (such as inter-tribal clashes).
According to the prosecutor, the Sudanese president was diverting attention by publicizing ceasefire agreements that are violated as soon as they are announced, and finally proposing the creation of special courts to conduct investigations that will never start.
FK/ER/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency