Felicien Kabuga
A court in Kigali intends to try top Rwandan genocide suspect, Félicien Kabuga whose genocide case at the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) was recently put on hold indefinitely.
Kabuga, 90, is alleged to be one of Rwanda’s top financiers of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, who has since 2020 been facing genocide crimes.
The IRMCT appeals court at The Hague decided on Monday, August 7, 2023, to indefinitely halt Kabuga’s trial on= grounds of alleged illness and incompetence to face trial, a move which triggered genocide survivors to accuse the UN Court of failure to meet its mandate.
According to the Rwanda national broadcaster, the Gasabo Intermediate Court today said it had received a case file against Kabuga in which the Umbrella Organization of genocide survivors’ Associations (IBUKA) had sued the suspect over damages caused during the genocide that is calculated to be over Rwf50.6 billion.
The court judge asked IBUKA lawyers Janvier Bayingana and Jean Bosco Ndubumwe to present their proof of the case and affirm if it was done within the legal process.
IBUKA said that their case followed legal procedures and in time to inform the suspect, a move that has been in the pipeline following the alleged damage of property and lives caused by Kabuga’s actions during the genocide.
The court took a decision to inform Kabuga about the case, its charges and stated that he can be tried in person or through his legal representatives in case he is not available.
The presiding judge also said that the court will make another decision on the way forward- to try the case or not, a decision that was accepted by both IBUKA lawyers.
The court will rule on this case on September 22.
