\n\u00a0Kigali, 28 May 2007 (FH) - Sunday, Mr. Fran\u00e7ois Byuma, a Rwandan, author of very popular theatre performances, activist of Human Rights, was sentenced to 19 years\u2019 imprisonment by a Gacaca Court in the sector of Biryogo, a quarter of Kigali. He appealed against this decision.
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\nJudge Sudi Imanzi, who presides this semi-traditional court, found him guilty of having practiced \u201ca military training within the Coalition for the defence of Republic (CDR)\u201d, of having inflicted assault and battery upon a Tutsi woman named Batamuriza, of \u201cformation of a criminal association as head of the cell\u201d and of \u201chaving brought Batamuriza to the sector office\u201d.
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\nThe court acquitted him on other charges (participation in the construction of barriers, having compiling a list of Tutsi victims). Also accused before a different court of unlawful detention of weapons, he will be prosecuted if the testimonies prove to be true, the President said.
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\nByumba was first convicted to preventive detention at the opening of the trial on 13 May and released on 20 May after having accepted to plead.
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\nThe two co-accused of Byuma, Mr. Shinani Mugoboka, former sector responsible, and Mr. Aloys Ndabarinze, who were both charged with the same counts, were acquitted by the same jurisdiction, the Hirondelle Agency noticed.
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\nA Rwandan responsible to the League for Human Rights in the region of the Great Lakes (LGDL) denounced \u201cthe violations of usual proceedings, the lack of relevant evidence of guilt, the intimidation by the President\u201d to the Hirondelle Agency. According to him, \u201cthis trial should be transferred before another court\u201d.
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\nOn 13 April, at the opening of the trial, Byuma challenged President Imanzi because the association he presides, called \u201cTurengere Abana\u201d (Protect the Children) lodged a complaint against him for rape. According to Byuma, this complaint motivated and hurried the trial.
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\nSRE\/PB\/CV\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\u00a9 Hirondelle News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0Kigali, 28 May 2007 (FH) - Sunday, Mr. Fran\u00e7ois Byuma, a Rwandan, author of very popular theatre performances, activist of Human Rights, was sentenced to 19 years\u2019 imprisonment by a Gacaca Court in the sector of Biryogo, a quarter of Kigali. He appealed against this decision. \u00a0 Judge Sudi Imanzi, who presides this semi-traditional court, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"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-18740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hirondellenews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n