INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA CONFIRMS INDICTMENTS

Press Release
L/2841

INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA CONFIRMS INDICTMENTS

ARUSHA, Tanzania, 17 October (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda) -- The indictments of former Prime Minister of Rwanda, Jean Kambanda, and former Prefect of Butare, Sylvain Nsabimana, were confirmed yesterday. The two accused, arrested in Kenya last July during the Nairobi-Kigali operation, are presently detained in Arusha.

Judge Yakov Ostrovsky confirmed the indictment of Kambanda who is facing six counts charging him with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, complicity in genocide, and crimes against humanity.

Judge Lennart Aspegren confirmed the indictment of Nsabimana who is facing five counts charging him with genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of Article 3 Common to the Geneva Conventions, and of Additional Protocol II thereto.

Kambanda, who was born on 10 October 1955 in Gishamvu commune in Rwanda, is alleged to have directly and publicly incited the population to commit acts of violence (in particular to kill and cause serious bodily harm to Tutsis and moderate Hutus) at public meetings and through the media. He is also alleged to have distributed arms and ammunition for use in committing the massacres, apart from assisting and directing prefects and bourgmestres and others to instigate and incite massacres of Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Nsabimana, who was born on 29 July 1933 in Mbazi commune in Rwanda, is alleged to have encouraged and facilitated the murder of Tutsis as well as incited the population to massacre them in Butare prefecture.

Meanwhile, Arsene Shalom Ntabobali, a former student of the National University of Rwanda, during his initial appearance before Trial Chamber 1 today, pleaded not guilty to seven counts charging him with genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of Article 3 Common to the Geneva Conventions.

Ntahobali, who was born in Tel Aviv in Israel on 5 June 1970, is jointly charged with his mother Pauline Nytramasuhuko, a former Minister of Women's Development and Family Welfare, in the first five counts. He, and other unknown accomplices, are alleged to have used a roadblock to identify, kidnap

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and kill members of the Tutsi population. Often, the victims were forced by the two accused, "to completely undress before being forced into vehicles and led to their deaths", the indictment states.

In the last two counts, which involve charges of sexual violence, Ntahobali is alleged to have participated in the kidnapping and raping of Tutsi women.

The date for the joint trial will be set during a Status Conference.

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