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Prosecutors concluded their arguments on Friday in the "media trial" at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha, Tanzania, saying media executives used radio and newspapers to incite the 1994 genocide.
"We are satisfied that we met our burden of proof and provided the evidence that we promised when the case opened," Stephen Rapp, the lead prosecutor, told IRIN. “The decision that will be rendered after final arguments will be a major precedent for international justice and the new International Criminal Court."
The accused are the former director of Radio-Television des Mille Collines (RTLM), Ferdinand Nahimana; former politician and RTLM board member Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza; and the former editor of the defunct newspaper "Kangura", Hassan Ngeze.
The prosecution argued that while "Kangura" took an overtly anti-Tutsi line, RTLM radio often used "double speak" to get the message across.
"There were the military, administrative and political structures that were pushing for the genocide, but in terms of the mobilisation of the population, it would not have been possible to accomplish the nationwide programme of genocide without the mass media," Rapp said.
Analysts expect that when the trial resumes on 3 September, the defence will argue that it is freedom of expression that is on trial.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
