A Rwandan genocide fugitive Beatrice Munyenyezi, 41, will appear this Wednesday, February 22, 2012 before the federal court in New Hampshire in the United States of America.
Beatrice Munyenyezi is accused of ordering the rape and murder of ethnic Tutsis in Butare during the 1994 genocide. That she lied during her application to immigrate to the United States in 1995 where she obtained citizenship in 2003.
Most witnesses that come from Rwanda, do not speak English. Three Kinyarwanda speaking interpreters were hired and they are housed.
Court staff will not reveal their names or other information about them.
Many court documents about the case have been kept secret, and many trips taken by lawyers David Ruoff and Mark Howard in Rwanda to prepare for trial.
To detect the lies of Munyenyezi on applications for immigration and naturalization in the US, prosecutors must demonstrate her role in the genocide against the Tutsis.
If found guilty, she will be deported to Rwanda and probably spend the rest of his life in prison. But, she still denies the charges.
In a recent court order, Steven McAuliffe, Chief Justice, described the case as being particularly complex, which means “navigate through a sea of bureaucratic obstacles,”he said.
Court documents show that steps were taken to ensure the safety of Rwandan witnesses, including an agreement between two parties on the passport applications of defense witnesses so that they are submitted together with the Government Rwanda to hide their identities.
Munyenyezi has been detained since June 2010. Justice searched her home in Manchester, New Hampshire, where some of her property; computer, mobile phone, her American citizenship card and her books were confiscated.
Munyenyezi is married to Arsene Shalom Nhahobali, previously a commando in Habyarimana’s protection force (ex-FAR). The latter also appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha.
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