Defence lawyers concerned over ICTR Rwandan appointee

Defence lawyers at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) have expressed “grave concern” over the appointment of a Rwandan representative to the court, the Hirondelle news agency reported. A letter, signed by 14 defence counsels, to the ICTR registry last week said it was “extremely strange that the ICTR, not being a state, should assume the power to accredit an official representative of a country”. The letter said the defendants were “seized by panic”. “They are expressing reticence, saying they will not testify as long as the Rwandan government representative is present,” the letter added. The Rwandan representative, Martin Ngoga, was appointed last month in a move hailed by both the Rwandan government and the ICTR. The tribunal’s spokesman Kingsley Moghalu told Hirondelle the concerns were “understandable, but a bit misplaced”. He said the ICTR would not allow any situation in which its independence was compromised.