THE HAGUE, Netherlands
Fifty witnesses are expected to testify before the UN court against the alleged top genocide financier, Felicien Kabuga, whose case began in substance on Thursday September 29.
Undisputedly, the witnesses
will be testifying for his role of being a ‘financier of the Genocide’ that saw
almost a population of one million Tutsis wiped out.
An updated indictment
submitted to the UN court last year indicates Kabuga faces serious charges of
conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, direct and public incitement to commit
genocide, persecution for political reasons, extermination and murder.
Like the previous indictments,
the prosecutor’s submissions of last year assert Kabuga was responsible for the
creation of the hateful broadcasts aired by the Radio-Television des mille
collines (RTLM) which he financed with logistical support.
Kabuga is also accused of
facilitating the movements of Interahamwe during their murderous operations and
of having been given them money and food throughout the process.
Other top fugitives like
Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza and Ephrem Nkezabera have been
convicted by the UN court.
The elderly Kabuga who is now
in his 80s refused to appear in person or via a link at the start of a trial on
Thursday, due to a dispute over his lawyers but the court concluded that the
hearing would proceed.
As Kabuga’s case proceedings
go on, there is a question of knowing the amount of damages that are to be
awarded to the victims in relation to the seriousness of Kabuga’s crime.
Speaking to Taarifa, Faustin
Murangwa, a criminal lawyer based in Kigali said it is a norm for international
cases for one to be a victim and a witness at the same time adding therefore
that a big number of Rwandan survivors will be witnesses at the Hague.
Referring to the compensation
and damages, Murangwa told Taarifa that there are legal challenges that need to
be addressed for survivors to be awarded compensation and damages.
He said for survivors to
access the compensation and damages they must go through their umbrella bodies
and therefore a single person cannot demand for damages.
“I think the law must be
legislated to create a favorable environment for the victims to seek
compensation,” he said. “The fact that there is no amount of damages set for victims
is because there is no law in place,” he added.
FĂ©licien Kabuga was born in
1935, in Muniga secteur, Mukarange commune, Byumba prefecture, Rwanda. He is
likely to serve life imprisonment if convicted. - Africa
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