{The German prosecution believes that Onesphore Rwabukombe; a Rwandan national who is accused of participating in 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, is guilty for committing Genocide and demands life imprisonment. }
According to a press release form the Rwanda’s Ministry of Justice, on Tuesday in the High court in Frankfurt, Germany, the office of the Prosecutor General pleaded before the criminal unit for a lifetime sentence minus six months for Rwabukombe: A life sentence due to Genocide and the particular severity of the deed and minus six months due to the long duration of the trial.
Onesphore Rwabukombe who once acted as the leader in the sector Muvumba, stood before court since January 2011. In this period only 116 trial days took place due to complicated evidence requests. Now the office of the Prosecutor General sees Rwabukombe’s complicity in a massacre in the church of the village Kiziguro.
It is estimated that more than 1200 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in Kiziguro during the Genocide.
Rwabukombe was “not only a string-puller, but the leader and organiser of Genocide on the ground”, said Prosecutor Christian Ritscher in his final speech. He was involved in opinion-building before-hand and in the carrying-out on the site. He was the “perpetrator behind the perpetrators”.
According to the witnesses Rwabukombe accompanied the Hutu militias to the church site and called upon them to start the “work”- meaning the killings. “His call was the trigger,” said Ritscher.
The prosecution gave its final speech yesterday and requested life sentence (meaning 25 years), the civil incidental action will present its speech today and the defense team will present its pleadings next week. The final judgement is expected for the 18th February 2014.
Since 2002 Rwabukombe lived with his family in Frankfurt, enjoyed asylum
RNA
Leave a Reply