Felicien kabuga pleads not guilty to rwanda genocide

It was at the ICTR that Kabuga was first indicted in with seven counts of genocide as one of the suspected masterminds of the genocide in Rwanda. This indictment was amended in soon after The Mechanism took over the handful of open cases that remained at the ICTR. It was this amended page indictment that Abubaccar Tambadou, the registrar of The Mechanism, read on Wednesday before Kabuga took a plea.

A UN court has ruled that ageing Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga is unfit to stand trial, calling instead for an 'alternative' legal procedure.

In the indictment Kabuga is alleged to have presided over a radio and television company, Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines RTLM , that broadcast messages inciting its listeners against the Tutsi. According to the indictment, Kabuga is alleged to have committed all these crimes between January 1, and July 17, in Kigali, Gisenyi and Kibuye.

The indictment does not say how many deaths Kabuga is alleged to have been responsible for but at the end of the genocide an estimated , people were killed, most of them Tutsis. The genocide took place between April 7, and July 17, After Tambadou finished reading the indictment, Single Judge Iain Bonomy asked Kabuga whether he wished to make a plea at that point.

Kabuga spoke to one of his lawyers closest to where he was seated and said he wished to remain silent. His court appearance was streamed on the website of The Mechanism.

Judges say Felicien Kabuga, accused of fuelling the genocide, is unfit for trial or alternative procedures.

Once he fled Rwanda Kabuga stayed in a number of African and European countries over the years but his identity became a source of mystery with the passage of time. On Wednesday, Kabuga was in wheelchair, dressed in a dark blue suit, a light blue white striped shirt and a dark blue white polka dot tie. He did this for Kabuga to rest as Altit had said Kabuga was very tired.

According to the indictment read in court, Kabuga is 85 years old. In response to questions from Judge Bonomy, Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said he intends to file a further amended indictment by January next year. Brammertz said he estimated he would be ready for trial about six months after the court made a decision on the further amended indictment.

Bonomy is the Presiding Judge of the three-person trial chamber overseeing the case against Kabuga.