The convicts in question are the Seventh Day Adventist Church Pastor, Elizaphan Ntakirutimana and his son, Dr. Gerard Ntakirutimana. They were sentenced to 10 and 25 years imprisonment respectively by ICTR on April 19, 2003 and their appeal dismissed more than one year later.
Pastor Ntakirutimana was released after completing his sentence and died on January 22, 2007 whereas his son, a medical doctor is still serving his sentence in Benin.
Application filed by Philippe Larochelle, Counsel for Mungwarere explained that major events in which his client had been alleged to have participated, were identical to events for which the Ntakirutimanas were tried before the UN Tribunal.
‘'Mr. Mungwarere is accused of involvement in several events that have been the subject of proceedings in this Tribunal. In particular, several of the allegations against Mr. Mungwarere are similar to those alleged against Elizaphan and Gerard Ntakirutimana,'' reads part of the motion signed by Larochelle on August 17, 2011.
Some of these events include attacks at Mugonero hospital in Kibuye prefecture, Western Rwanda on April 16, 1994 and other concerted attacks in the same prefecture at Gitwe, Murambi and Bisesero hills in the following weeks.
Mungwarere, among others, asked the disclosure of the materials to his defence team or, in the alternative an order should be issued for disclosure of the materials to the Canadian Prosecutor who later on, would hand over the relevant part of materials to the defence.
Mungwarere is being prosecuted in Canada for genocide and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Kibuye prefecture, during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
NI/FK/ER/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency