Co-counsel for the defendant, Philippe Larochelle, told Hirondelle News Agency that he called four witnesses in this session, which stated on October 11, bringing a total of 29 witnesses who have so far testified for Nzabonimana since he opened his defence case on April 14, 2010.
According to him, the next session would end on March 25, 2011 and they are expecting to call about 10 more as their last witnesses.
The trial took off on November 9, 2009 and the prosecution concluded its case on April 13, 2010 after fielding 19 witnesses.
Nzabonimana is facing five charges of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, extermination and murder. He has denied the charges.
He allegedly played an important role in the massacres of Tutsis in his native prefecture of Gitarama, central Rwanda. He was an active member of the then ruling party, MRND, at his prefecture and the national level.
The accused was arrested in the western part of Tanzania on February 18, 2008. The next day he was transferred to the United Nations Detention Facility (UNDF) in Arusha, the headquarters of the UN Tribunal.
FK/ER/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency
