RWANDA: THE TRIAL OF FRODUALD KARAMIRA ACCUSED OF INCITING KILLINGS IN RWANDA RESUMES

Record ID: 195168

  • Title: RWANDA: THE TRIAL OF FRODUALD KARAMIRA ACCUSED OF INCITING KILLINGS IN RWANDA RESUMES
  • Date: 29th January 1997
  • Summary: KIGALI, RWANDA (JANUARY 29, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV EXT COURTHOUSE 0.07 2. SV RWANDAN FLAG 0.11 3. SLV FRODUALD KARAMIRA AND FELLOW DEFENDANT JEAN-BAPTISTE SEBUDANDI WEARING PINK PRISON UNIFORMS ARRIVE AT THE NYAMIRAMBO COURTHOUSE 0.23 4. SV SEBUDANDI (WEARING SPECTACLES) AND KARAMIRA SEATED IN COURT
  • Embargoed: 13th February 1997 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KIGALI, RWANDA
  • City:
  • Country: Rwanda
  • Reuters ID: LVA8AENQKAESA1ZGLW8IRTGZKJID
  • Story Text: - INTRO: The trial of a prominent Hutu politician accused of inciting killings in Rwanda during the 1994 mass slaughter has resumed at a Kigali courthouse.

    Froduald Karamira, former vice-president of the Hutu extremist MDR-Power party, arrived in court after a two-week adjournment period expired on Wednesday (January 29).

    Karamira is accused of being a leader of the Hutu extremist Interahamwe ('those who kill together') militia, one of the main forces that carried out the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates.

    He is charged under Rwanda's genocide law with category one crimes. He will face the death penalty if convicted.

    The trial was adjourned on its opening day on January 14 to allow Karamira's lawyer time to prepare his defence.

    On Wednesday, Karimira sat in Kigali's Nyamirambo court alongside his defence lawyer Paul Atita and fellow accused Jean-Baptiste Sebudandi. Sebudandi is also a key defence witness.

    Karamira was born a Tutsi but changed to Hutu using a centuries-old custom. He was allegedly responsible for inciting genocide through broadcasts on state-run Radio Rwanda and Raido Mille Collines. Karamira was arrested at Ethiopia's Addis Ababa airport last June and extradited to Rwanda.

    Around 300 people outside the courtroom listened to a broadcast of the proceedings relayed live via state radio. The trial was set to continue for a number of days as more witnesses were called before the judges gave their verdict.

    At least nine people have been sentenced to death since trials of the first of some 90,000 suspects crammed into Rwanda's jails started in late December.


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