\nArusha, March 19, 2003 (FH) - Shalom Ntahobali, one of the six accused in the Butare trial, \"did nothing, said nothing\", while a witness was taken away and raped by a soldier, the victim told the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on Wednesday. QY, the twentythird prosecution witness, said she was raped by a soldier in a group that had been taken to a churchowned school by Ntahobali in April 1994.\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nThe Butare trial groups former Minister for Family and Women's Affairs Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, and her son Ars\u00e8ne Shalom Ntahobali, former Butare prefects Sylvain Nsabimana and Alphonse Nteziryayo and former mayors of Ngoma Joseph Kanyabashi and Muganza, Elie NdayambajeQY recounted how she was taken to the woods and raped near the Eglise Episcopale du Rwanda where she and other Tutsi refugees were staying in Butare prefecture. She stated that Ntahobali led the attacks by soldiers onthe refugees. The refugees had been ordered to leave the Butare prefecture office for EER by the prefect. On that day, QY said, Ntahobali went to the EER with soldiers and started choosing a few young people who were taken to the nearby woods opposite the Butare Universty. She however could not remember the exact date. \"I was taken to a different place by a drunk soldier and when I got there he asked me to undress. I hesitated and he said he would slaughter me with a knife and I complied,\" QY stated. The witness added that the man asked her to cooperate while he raped her or he would insert his gun into her private parts. The soldier raped her until night and later gave her a chewing gum and told her: \"I will not kill you. We have become one because our blood is mixed. \" The assailant escorted her back to EER where QY found out that other women had also been raped. In October 2001, another prosecution witness dubbed TA claimed that she was raped by Ntahobali near ORINFOR offices in Butare. During her stay at EER the witness said she saw Ntahobali visiting the place twice and on the second occasion he brought soldiers to abduct young men and women. \"Ntahobali came with soldiers in military uniform and civilians. They selected young men then the girls to be raped,\" she testified. Led in her chief evidence by prosecution attorney Adesola Adeboyejo of Nigeria, the witness who is a Tutsi, told the chamber she first sought refuge at Matyazo primary school when the war broke out. The Interahamwe militia attacked her at the school. She said one of the militiamen struck her on the forehead with a machete and she fell down. \" I remained under the bodies for three days unconscious. \" QY also added her elder sister was killed in the same attack. Three men later rescued the witness and she was taken to the ButareUniversity hospital. The trial continues on Thursday with the crossexamination of QY by the defence. Butare trial is before Trial Chamber II composed of Judges William Hussein Sekule of Tanzania (presiding), Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar) Winston Churchill Matanzima Maqutu (Lesotho). PJ\/CE\/FH (BT0319e)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arusha, March 19, 2003 (FH) - Shalom Ntahobali, one of the six accused in the Butare trial, \"did nothing, said nothing\", while a witness was taken away and raped by a soldier, the victim told the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on Wednesday. QY, the twentythird prosecution witness, said she was raped by a soldier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-17388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hirondellenews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n