'Military group' genocide accused to be tried jointly

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Thursday granted the Prosecutor Carla del Ponte's motion that it would try together the cases of four senior members of the Rwandan military hierarchy, known as "the Military Group", for their alleged role in planning the 1994 genocide. The Tribunal's Trial Chamber 3 agreed with the argument that the accused - Theoneste Bagosora, Gratien Kabiligi, Aloys Ntabakuze and Anatole Nsengiyumva - were charged with the same crimes, in particular conspiracy to commit genocide, among other offences, an ICTR press release stated. The Prosecutor argued that all four were members or former members of the military hierarchy in Rwanda in 1994, and were all involved in preparation for the genocide and in anti-Tutsi programmes, including military training and the supply of the Interahamwe militia. "This created a nexus between the accused justifying their being tied together," the statement said. Trial Chamber III ruled that joining the trials would reduce the overall time required to try the accused, allow for a more consistent and detailed presentation of the evidence, and for better protection of the victims' and witnesses' physical and mental safety by eliminating the need for them to make several journeys and to repeat their testimony. In a separate development, the Tribunal's Appeals Chamber announced that it had completed the hearing of Jean Kambanda, the former Prime Minister of Rwanda, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment on genocide charges. The Appeals Chamber said it would deliver its decision on the appeal later. Kambanda had pleaded guilty to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 September 1998. He has since appealed the sentence, that his guilty plea be quashed and that he stand trial. Kambanda on Tuesday told the Tribunal he felt he was "forced" to sign his guilty plea agreement with the prosecution and completely rejected the "context" in which the plea agreement was signed.