Prosecutor Edouard Kayihura on Tuesday requested the death penalty for Catholic Bishop Augustin Misago, formerly of Gikongoro diocese, if found guilty by the Kigali Criminal Court on charges related to the 1994 genocide, news agencies reported. “In view of the gravity of the crimes perpetrated by Misago, we have placed him in the first category of genocide criminals...We have, therefore, requested the death penalty for the cleric,” the German press agency DPA quoted Kayihura as saying. Misago and the Catholic church have rejected the charges, contending that he is a scapegoat in a campaign against the church by the authorities in Kigali. The defence was scheduled to make its final submission in the case on Wednesday, with a verdict expected some two weeks later, DPA reported. Tuesday’s hearing was also marked by the brief attendance of Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), it added.
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
Share this article