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ICTR Defence Lawyers Want Kagame to Be Prosecuted for War Crimes

Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne)
NEWS
November 21, 2006
Posted to the web November 22, 2006
Arusha
Following the investigation conducted by Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière, the
defence lawyers association (ADAD) at the International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda (ICTR) asked the Tribunal on Tuesday afternoon for the President of
Rwanda Paul Kagame to be prosecuted for war crimes.
Bruguière's investigation was transmitted last Friday to the public prosecutor.
The French judge notably suggests that a demand concerning the sitting
president should be filed with the United Nations. Paul Kagame is said to have
initiated the attack that led to the death of the President of Rwanda and the
President of Burunidi, Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira.
According to the defence attorneys, the ICTR has been gathering evidences
pertaining to the Rwandan president's involvement in the attack against the
plane since 1997 but these proofs have been denied by Louise Harbour, the
prosecutor at the time. The ADAD consequently calls on the prosecutor to
immediately start legal proceedings against Mr. Kagame or it will ask the
president of the tribunal to deliver him a compliance mandate.
Peter Erlinder, the ADAD's president, added that other evidences accusing Paul
Kagame have also been presented before the ICTR in « Militaries I », the trial
of the most important military officials of the regime formerly in power and in
which Mr. Erlinder pleads.
One of the leaders of the ADAD, Mr. John Philpot, also declared that Mr.
Bruguière's investigation seemed to be very « rigorous » and that the French
magistrate had « searched for evidences before pressing charges » as opposed to
the ICTR's prosecutor who, according to John Philpot, « takes criminal actions
before gathering evidences ».


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