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Initial appearance of Jean Kambanda, former Prime Minister of Rwanda

Kambanda

The former Prime Minister of Rwanda, Mr. Jean Kambanda will enter his initial appearance before Trial Chamber 1 of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Friday, 1 May 1998 at 10.00 a.m. in the case of The Prosecutor v Jean Kambanda.

At his initial appearance Mr. Kambanda will enter a plea in respect of the charges against him. The indictment against him charges the former Prime Minister with Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit Genocide, Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide, Complicity in Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity.

Jean Kambanda ,42, was Prime Minister of Rwanda from 8 April 1994 until he left the country on or about 17 July 1994. He was arrested on 18 July 1997 in Nairobi, Kenya during the Tribunal's Operation NAKI - in which seven high level officials of the former Rwandan Government were arrested and brought into the custody of the Tribunal - and transferred to the Tribunal's detention facilities in Tanzania the same day. As a former Head of Government, Kambanda is the highest ranking Rwandan ex-political leader indicted for genocide and detained by the Tribunal. He is represented by his defence counsel, Mr. Michael Oliver Ingliss (Cameroon).

 

The Secretary-General's visit

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan will visit the Headquarters of the ICTR in Arusha, Tanzania on Tuesday 5 May 1998. The visit - the highest level of several visits to the Tribunal by international dignitaries in recent months - is an indication of the consistent support the Secretary-General has provided to the Tribunal since taking office in early 1997.

 

Nteziryayo arrested

Colonel Alphonse Nteziryayo, indicted by the ICTR for Genocide, Direct and Public Incitement to Genocide, Complicity in Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, and Serious Violations of Article 3 Common to the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II thereto, has been arrested and detained in Burkina Faso on the basis of an order of the Tribunal. His arrest and detention brings to a total of 25 individuals the numbers of accused persons in the custody of the Tribunal.

The accused, who is presently awaiting surrender to the Tribunal, was the commanding officer of the Military Police in the former Government of Rwanda and later became Prefet of Butare prefecture from 17 June 1994 until he went into exile. He was jointly indicted with Sylvain Nsabimana, who was prefet of Butare between 19 April 1994 and 17 June 1994 and is in the custody of the Tribunal at its detention facility in Arusha. Colonel Nteziryayo is alleged to have ordered, during the period he was prefet, the murder of all surviving Tutsis and to have himself taken part in some of these murders. He was further alleged to have led and supervised militia training in Butare prefecture, distributed weapons in all the communes, and directly and publicly incited the population to massacre the Tutsis in Butare prefecture.

For information only - Not an official document

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