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Barayagwiza seeks to defend himself

    NAIROBI

    Genocide suspect Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza has asked the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to dismiss his Kenyan lawyer Justry Nyaberi on the grounds of “incompetence”, the independent Hirondelle news agency reported on Tuesday. “I ask you to take account of my decision to defend myself, pending the appointment of new counsels who should be more dedicated and more competent,” Barayagwiza said in a letter to tribunal president Judge Navanethem Pillay. The accused had previously claimed his lawyer was “irresponsible, showed a lack of honesty and tended to do a rushed job, carried out at the last minute without serious research”. The ICTR Appeals Court ordered Barayagwiza’s release on technical legal grounds on 3 November, but Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte subsequently requested a review of the decision based on new facts.

    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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