The initial appearance of four persons arrested in Kenya in July this year during the Nairobi-Kigali (NAKI) operation will be on Friday 24 October 1997. The four will appear separately before the two Trial Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to plead "guilty" or " not guilty" to charges accusing them of participating in the 1994 killings in Rwanda.

The accused are George Ruggiu, a former Journalist and Broadcaster with Radio Télévision Libre de Mille Collines in Rwanda; Hassan Ngeze, a former Editor in Chief of a newspaper Kangura also in Rwanda; Major Aloys Ntabakuze, a former Commander of the Para-Commando Battalion of the Rwandan Armed Forces; and Sylvain Nsabimana, a former Prefect of Butare in Rwanda.

George Ruggiu and Hassan Ngeze will appear before Trial Chamber I, composed of Judge Navanethem Pillay, Presiding, and Judges Laïty Kama and Taffazal Khan. Ruggiu is defended by Mr Mohammed Aouini from Tunisia, while Counsels Ngata Kamau and Wamuti Ndengwa from Kenya are defending Ngeze.

Sylvain Nsabimana and Aloys Ntabakuze will appear before Trial Chamber 2, composed of Judge William Sekule, Presiding and Judges Yakov Ostrovsky and Tafazzal Khan. Defence Counsels for the accused are Josette Kadji from Cameroon (Nsabimana), and Simonette Rokotondrama from Madagascar and Jacques Martin from France (Ntabakuze).

All Defence Counsels have been assigned to defend the accused by the Registrar.

Earlier in the morning, the Trial Chamber 2 will sit for the hearing of a motion by the Prosecutor for Orders for Protective Measures for Victims and Witnesses to crimes alleged in the indictment of Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, a former Director of Cabinet in Rwanda.

Colonel Bagosora is defended by Counsel Raphael Constant from France.