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Former mayor pleads guilty to charges of genocide

[Tanzania] Arusha: ICTR Building Northern Tanzania IRIN
The tribunal's building in Arusha, northern Tanzania.
    ARUSHA

    The former mayor of Gikoro Commune in Rural Kigali, Paul Bisengimana, stood before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on Thursday and pleaded guilty to charges of murder and extermination during the 1994 genocide.

    "This is an unequivocal plea of guilt," Bisengimana told Judge Arlette Ramarason.

    He said no one had pressured him or offered awards to him for making the plea.

    Bisengimana admitted he was present at Musha Church in Gikoro Commune when thousands of Tutsis were massacred. He also admitted to having planned and participated in the killing of several thousand of people who had sought refuge in Gikoro Commune.

    When Bisengimana was initially arrested in Mali in 2001 he had pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

    Currently 25 defendants are standing trial at the tribunal.

    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

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