\nArusha, 29 October 2007 (FH) - The former president of the gacaca court of the Nyarutarama suburb of Kigali, Théoneste Mulihano, has just appeared twice before a gacaca court for his alleged role in the 1994 genocide, it was learned Monday from local associative source.
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\nThe former judge, relieved of his duties after 4 months of service, appeared on 17 and 24 October, according to the League for Human Rights in the Great Lakes Region (LDGL), a collective based in Kigali.
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\nMulihano, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of having buried alive Innocent Nkubana, who had been seriously wounded by Interahamwe militiamen, writes the LDGL on its Internet site.
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\nThe defendant affirms not to have taken part in the burial of Nkubana, but confirms that the victim was indeed buried alive.
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\nAmong the witnesses for the prosecution is François Nkurunziza, sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Marciana Nyirambeba, the mother of the victim, is testifying for the defence, specifies the LGDL.
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\nThe trial will restart Wednesday, adds the organization.
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\nInspired by ancestral village assemblies where wisemen would settle disagreements while sitting on the grass (gacaca, in Rwandan language), the semi-traditional gacaca courts are charged with trying the majority of the people accused of having played a part in the 1994 genocide.
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\nThey are presided not by professional magistrates but by "people with integrity" elected amongst the community.
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\nThey can sentence defendants up to life in prison.
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\nThe executive secretary of the national service of the gacaca courts (SNJG), Domitille Mukantaganzwa, hopes that these courts will have completed their work by the end of the year.
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\nER\/PB\/MM <\/p>\n
© Hirondelle News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arusha, 29 October 2007 (FH) - The former president of the gacaca court of the Nyarutarama suburb of Kigali, Théoneste Mulihano, has just appeared twice before a gacaca court for his alleged role in the 1994 genocide, it was learned Monday from local associative source.<\/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-19331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hirondellenews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n