Sagahutu pleads not guilty at ICTR

Captain Innocent Sagahutu, a former Rwandan army commander, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to 12 counts charging him with genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity including rape, and violations of the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war. Sagahutu, who was arrested in Denmark in February and transferred to the Tribunal’s detention facility in Arusha on Friday, also denied charges connecting him to the killing of former Rwandan prime minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and Belgian peacekeeping troops who were guarding her, an ICTR press release stated.

The indictment against Sagahutu alleged that he had ordered the use of armoured vehicles to attack the 10 Belgian soldiers. They were later disarmed, attacked over several hours and killed. The prosecution also alleged that having tracked, located and arrested Uwilingiyimana, Sagahutu was asked whether she should be brought back to Kigali Military Camp and responded by saying: “For what reasons?” Shortly afterwards, Uwilingiyimana was killed, the ICTR press release stated. Sagahutu, acting in concert with others, is alleged to have participated in the planning, preparation or execution of the killings of Tutsis and moderate Hutus. “The crimes were committed by them personally, by persons they assisted or by their subordinates, and with their concert or knowledge,” the indictment stated. [for full details, go to: http://www.ictr.org/]