Arusha, February 23, 2011 (FH) - Genocide-accused and former Rwandan Captain Idelphonse Nizeyimana Wednesday met face to face with a person he allegedly ordered to be shot dead but survived the fatal bullets during the 1994 massacres. <\/p>\n
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\n‘'I lost consciousness. When I woke up I found myself in a pool of blood'' witness code-named ‘'ZAV'' narrated before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).\n<\/p>\n
\nLed in his examination in-chief by the prosecution attorney, Drew White, the witness explained that at the end of April 1994, his friend and himself, both students at the National University of Rwanda in Butare, were heading to the Non-Commissioned Officers School (ESO) to meet a friend when they were arrested at a roadblock.\n<\/p>\n
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\nThey had just passed the roadblock when Captain Nizeyimana - in a vehicle with a female soldier - stopped them and ordered them to return to the check-point. Nizeyamana said they were "Inkontanyi" and ordered the soldiers at the roadblock to kill them.\n<\/p>\n
\n‘'My friend tried hard to persuade them by giving money to spare us but they refused,'' the witness recalled.\n<\/p>\n
\nThey were then taken about 100 meters away from the check point into a nearby forest where they were shot. ‘'I was in front of my friend. They shot me in the arm, in the stomach and in another part of the body,'' he explained, sobbing.\n<\/p>\n
\n"My friend died on the spot. When I gained consciousness I had to abandon my friend in the forest to avoid being eaten by dogs,'' he explained.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe said he ended up hiding into a bus until the next morning, when he was taken to a hospital for treatment.\n<\/p>\n
\nAt times the witness could not proceed with his evidence as he sobbed bitterly compelling the Presiding Judge Lee Muthoga to advise him to recompose himself and continue with his testimony.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe accused, Capt. Nizeyimana sat in the court room expressionless as witness ZAV gave his evidence.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe defence led by John Philpot took over for cross examination in closed session. \n<\/p>\n
\nThe prosecution case continues Thursday. Capt. Nizeyimana is charged with genocide, extermination, murder and rape. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.\n<\/p>\n
\nNI\/ER\/GF\n<\/p>\n
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\n© Hirondelle News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arusha, February 23, 2011 (FH) - Genocide-accused and former Rwandan Captain Idelphonse Nizeyimana Wednesday met face to face with a person he allegedly ordered to be shot dead but survived the fatal bullets during the 1994 massacres.<\/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-23080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hirondellenews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n