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Testimony in the federal trial of Lazare Kobagaya, 84, accused of participating in the 1994 Rwandan genocide is expected to conclude during next week with defence lawyers resuming their efforts to convince jurors about the innocence of the accused. 

According to news agencies , defense attorneys will put on the stand their last witnesses in the case of Kobagaya, who faces the loss of his citizenship and deportation if convicted. He is charged with unlawfully obtaining U.S. citizenship in 2006 and with fraud and misuse of an alien registration card in a case prosecutors have said is the first in the nation requiring proof of genocide.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot has told jurors that they will not get their jury instructions or hear closing arguments until after the Memorial Day holiday. That would make May 31 the earliest day that the jury could possibly get the case and begin deliberations.

Jurors must decide if Kobagaya lied to U.S. immigration officials. The government alleges he purposefully concealed that he was actually living in Rwanda during the genocide by misrepresenting on an immigration form that he was in Burundi at the time. He is also alleged to have lied when he told authorities he had not engaged in genocide or committed any crimes for which he was not convicted.

More than 500,000 people were killed in Rwanda during 100 days of violence that began in April 1994. Most of the dead were ethnic Tutsi, while most of the killings were carried out by ethnic Hutu militias, before a Tutsi-led rebel movement took power.

The prosecution brought Rwandan witnesses to this country in an effort to prove that Kobagaya, a Hutu born in Burundi, ordered other Hutus in Birambo, the village where he lived at the time, to burn down the houses of their Tutsi neighbors. He is accused of stabbing a Hutu man who refused to join in the killings, forcing him to later kill another man for fear of his own life. Kobagaya is also accused of helping lead an attack up Mount Nyakizu where hundreds of fleeing Tutsis who had been massacred.

Defense attorneys brought their own Rwandan witnesses to testify otherwise.

Kobagaya’s son, Jean Claude Kandagaye, took the stand first for the defense to recount for jurors their family’s life as Burundian refugees in Rwanda and his father’s efforts years later to learn English so he could become a U.S. citizen.

The defense used Kandagaye — who filled out an immigration form for his father — to show jurors that the elderly Kobagaya did not understand English well and depended on others to translate documents and help him fill out immigration paperwork. Several people testified prisoners were pressured to confess and accuse others in order to be released from prison.

Among them was Jean de Dieu Maniraho, who told jurors that Kobagaya’s name was on a list of people whom Rwandan prosecutors and a Tutsi survivors’ organization wanted prisoners to accuse others as a condition of their release.

Maniraho testified the inclusion of Kobagaya’s name on the list caused “a lot of trouble” at the prison in 2005, triggering fights and arguments that divided prisoners from Nyakizu Commune into two groups. Some inmates didn’t want to accuse “the old man” of something he didn’t do. Others argued they had to do what the Rwandan government and a survivors’ group wanted.

Also taking the stand this past week for the defense was Francois Patrick Tuyisabe, who at the time of the genocide was an 18-year-old student home on vacation. He testified that Hutu children and elderly people were excluded from joining the attacks on Mount Nyakizu because of fears they would be killed in a fight. He told jurors that he saw Kobagaya at his home in Birambo during the attacks at Mount Nyakizu.

Unlike the glamour that characterises the MTV Africa, Global or Grammy awards in the international scene, or the Pearl and Kisima awards in neighbouring Uganda and Kenya, a heavy downpour, ignominy, absurdity and shoddy organisation exemplified the 2010 Salax Awards as chicly dressed local artistes arrived for a red carpet reception at a giant tent in Gikondo in ordinary commuter buses.

Despite promises of limos by penny-pinching organisers as a mark of respect to their celebrity status, the dismayed artistes, all the same, walked down the rain-drenched red carpet to tussle it out for the numerous awards on offer.

A laissez-faire throng of fans gathering to welcome their favourite artists were equally staggered when the musicians arrived in backpacked Belvedere buses at designated parking lots meant for VIP limousines.

At a short notice, the event had been shifted from its announced venue at Petit Stade to the Private Sector Federation-owned exhibition tent in Gikondo, Kigali.

The Salax Awards are national music awards that recognise artistes and producers for their ingenious contribution to the music industry annually.

The event which was originally scheduled to start at 5 pm began at 7pm amid poor organisation.

The sitting arrangement was contemptible as VIPs were treated to embarrassing scenes of prying from ordinary fans. The backstage typically meant for performers was half closed as some fans gawked at artistes and dancers change their attires.

The lights were of poor standard with only two floodlights for the over 10,000-seater tent.

Chubby Contact FM presenter Lain Manzi, who was the MC, drowsed the crowd who even so devised means of entertaining themselves through mad dash movements amid hollers. Thanks to the drizzle that kept the fans to shelter themselves in the tent. 

Manzi’s efforts to call on stage a dancing group to contain the wild audience were futile as the tiny decrepit stage could not allow a pounding Jack B dance to his only hit song ‘Urukundo’leaving fans in puzzlement.

The height of the confusion was when Kamich failed to give a speech to the already expectant crowd after clinching the award for the best song of the year. He instead reached to his socks for a chit to save himself from embarrassment. 

Salax awards held its third annual Music Awards last night — and some of the country’s biggest duo of course took the top prize for male and female artists of the year respectively. 

Tom Close scoop the artist of the year award in a tight competition as Miss Jojo picked up the female artists of the year trophy.

Over 15 categories were competed for during the event graced by the minister of culture and sports Protais Mitari. He hailed the Ikirezi Group, the organisers of the awards for their initiative to recognise creativity among artists in the music industry.

“When the government added me other responsibilities I was happy but I was more happy when they told me that I will be working with these artists of ours”, he said, before handing over the prestigious awards to respective categories’ winners.

Below are the winners of the various categories

Best Album 2010 : Impinduramatwara by Riderman

Best new artist 2010 : Knowless

Best Producer 2010 : Lick Lick Studio Unlimited Records and Studio The Focus Production.

Best gospel artist of the year 2010 : Dominic Nic

Best Hip-Hop artist 2010 : Jay Polly

Best Video2010 : Baza by Tom Close.

Best R&B artist 2010 : King James

Best Teen Artist 2010 : Young Grace

Best Afro beat artist 2010 : Kamichi

Best Group artist 2010 : Dream Boys

Best East African artists 2010 : GoodLyfe Crew from Uganda

Best Song of the year 2010 : Zoubeda for Kamichi and the The Ben 

Best female artist of the year 2010 : Miss Jojo

Best male artist of the year 2010 : Tom Close 

Best collar MTN tune song of the year : Bella by Dream boys and Kitoko.

 

The seventh gorilla naming ceremony commonly known as Kwita Izina will be held on 18 June 2011 at Kinigi, Musanze District. During the ceremony, a total of 22 gorilla infants, This includes a set of twins born in February this year,a rare occurrence for an endangered species which counts fewer than 800 individuals.

Mountain gorillas are Rwanda’s main tourist attraction and accounted for 90 percent of tourism revenue in 2010.

The naming ceremony will also mark the country’s seventh year tourism anniversary to be marked under the theme community development for sustained conservation,

Clare Akamanzi RDB Chief Operative Officer, observed that there has been a steady increase in tourism revenues. She pointed out that the industry made a total of US$200 million in 2010 while projections for this year are estimated to be US$216 million.

She further pointed out that there has been a 26 percent growth in the gorilla population since the last census in 2003. The growth is partly attributed to the conversion of poachers into productive activities such as agriculture. “The transformation has also improved security in the parks at the same time improved their livelihoods,|” she remarked.

Prior to the naming ceremony, RDB shall recognise the efforts of the community in contributing to the welfare of our wildlife and its conservation. The celebration of Kwita Izina will be preceded by a weeklong activities which includes Kwita Izina national cycling tour, conservation conference, launching of community projects as well as a community party known as “Igitaramo“. The activities consist of refurbishing of health centres, schools and funding of cooperatives specialising on tourism products. RDB would facilitate workshops in Kiningi to train handicraft makers on how to produce quality goods market them to tourists. In total, RDB would inject Frw 1billion to support community projects surrounding national parks.

 RDB’s head of tourism and conservation Rica Rwigamba encouraged locals to visit gorillas and abandon the erroneous mindset that this is meant for tourists. “We’re doing our best to encourage locals, we charge them Frw 20,000 while foreigners pay US$500,” she commented.

According to Rwigamba, Mountain gorillas are Rwanda’s main tourist attraction and accounted for 90 percent of tourism revenue in 2010.

In the 2010 census, the total number of mountain gorillas has increased by a quarter over the past seven years to reach more than 780 individuals. Two thirds of them are found in the Virunga massif, which straddles Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda has recorded only five twin mountain gorilla births over the past 40 years.

 

Having spent over 17 years serving the D.R. Congo based Rwandan Hutu rebel group- Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, Jean Batiste Barangariye a.k.a Major Mongo Smith has voluntarily surrendered and returned home.

Major Mongo Smith, a top commander of FDLR on Thursday 19, said that he has been working as the operations commander and urged other rebels languishing in Congolese jungles to follow suit and surrender.

 “I appeal to the rest of my colleagues to also come back home because the rebel group is no longer all that powerful and it will never win the battle,” he said, adding that FDRL was no longer powerful.

 He said that though it was not as simple, he made a decision to return to his homeland since time had reached for him to come and take part in the development his nation other than destroy the nation’s stability.

He disclosed that his operations were based in Walikare zone of Intoto in the D.R.C.

 Barandangariye joined the rebel group in 1998 from Congo Brazzaville where he was previously stationed since 1994. He is presently residing in Gisenyi in the Western Province.

The Gacaca grassroots courts will wrap up operations in December, justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama said Friday.

“A final report will be completed by December and this chapter of Gacaca will be officially declared closed,” Karugarama said in a statement.

The Gacaca court is part of a system of community justice inspired by tradition and established in 2001|2001 in Rwanda|Rwanda, in the wake of the 1994|1994 Genocide|Rwandan Genocide, against the Tutsi claimed over 1 million lives. The Gacaca courts are a method of transitional justice|Transitional justice, designed to promote healing and moving on from the crisis.

“Through Gacaca we have been able to judge and resolve up to 1.4 million dossiers,” the minister said — “a great achievement that would have been impossible otherwise.”

“There have been prison sentences ranging from five to ten years, life sentences that make up five to eight percent of the verdicts and acquittals that make up 20 to 30 percent,” said Karugarama.

The Gacaca, which started functioning in 2005, were initially due to wind down by the end of 2007, but the date has been postponed several times due to the complexity of some of the cases before them.

According to the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdiction, a body that coordinates the grassroots courts’ activities, the 97 remaining cases will be closed by July.

The courts have the jurisdiction to try those who took part in the killings, but not those suspected of planning the genocide on a national or regional level.

“All in all we are happy that we have a unique system that caters to our people needs, it may not be perfect for other nations but it serves us very well,” said Karugarama.

After the Genocide, the new Rwandan Patriotic Front|Rwandan Patriotic Front’s government struggled with developing just means for the humane detention|Detention (Imprisonment) and prosecution|Prosecution of the more than 100,000 people accused of genocide|Genocide, war crimes|War crimes, and related crimes against humanity|Crimes against humanity. By 2000|2000, approximately 120,000 alleged genocidaires were crammed into Rwanda’s prisons and communal jails. From December 1996|1996 to December 2006|2006, the courts managed to try about 10,000 suspects at that rate it would take another 110 years to prosecute all the prisoners.

To speed things up, some prisoners were released : In two rounds, in 2004|2004 and 2005|2005, about 50 prisoners were released. In January, 2007, another 8,000 prisoners were scheduled for release.

However, the courts needed a more expeditious means of delivering justice. In response, Rwanda implemented the Gacaca court|Court system, which has evolved from traditional cultural communal law enforcement procedures. Rwanda has especially focused on criminal prosecutions in the Gacaca courts, putting justice partially into the hands of the victims.

The Gacaca courts are meant to provide smaller courts to relieve the burden of the larger courts. Criminals are charged with acts against humanity, such as murder and serious assault. These courts are not allowed to try accused rapists, however.[8] The idea is to let the village courts resolve these issues and hopefully provide some reconciliation. The trials are meant to promote reconciliation and justice. The defendant is accused and brought to trial. The trial is held in public, where survivors and the victims’ families can confront the accused. The accused confess to their crimes or maintain their innocence. The villagers can either speak for or against the defendant.

The United States said Thursday the genocide conviction and sentence of ex-Rwandan army chief Augustin Bizimungu shows that even top military officers are not immune from prosecution.

The four sentenced are Bizimungu, Augustin Ndindiliyimana, a former Rwandan General Francois Xavier Nzuwonemeye, and Innocent Sagahutu.

Bizimungu was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment. A general of the Rwandan Armed forces, he held the post of Lieutenant colonel before being promoted to Major General subsequently after the death of the late President Juvenal Habyarimana. 

“The United States welcomes the ruling as an important step in providing justice and accountability for the Rwandan people and the international community,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a press release.

“The conviction of Mr. Bizimungu, in particular, shows that even those at the highest levels of military leadership are not immune from prosecution in the face of such grave atrocities,” it said.

“There are still 10 ICTR fugitives at-large and the United States urges all countries to continue their cooperation with the ICTR so that these fugitives can be expeditiously arrested and brought to justice,” the statement said.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda based in Arusha was established in late 1994 to try the Hutu perpetrators of Rwanda’s genocide which claimed some 800,000 lives, mainly minority Tutsis, in a span of 100 days.

During the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, Augustin Ndindiliyimana held the position of Chief of Staff of the Gendarmerie Nationale. Ndindiliyimana is alleged to have conspired with his co-accused (Francois Xavier Nzuwonemeye Innocent Sagahutu, Augustin Bizimungu) in the plan to exterminate Tutsis in Rwanda.

He is also accused for his responsibility for the atrocities committed by forces under his control, including the deaths of ten Belgian peacekeepers in April 1994 which sparked the withdrawal of all Belgian troops from the UN mission in Rwanda. However, ICTR on Tuesday ordered his immediate release, after finding his justifying factors reasonable. Ndindiliyimana,later on expressed his happiness for being released after remaining in detention for 11 years. 

Nzuwonemeye, a member the Rwandan Armed Forces in 1994, held the rank of major. In 1993, he was commander of a battalion in the FAR ; he was subsequently promoted to commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion.

The ICTR indictment alleges that between 1990 and 1994, Nzuwonemeye and other officers conspired to exterminate the Tutsi civilians and political opponents, and helped to train interahamwe and militia groups who committed the genocide

After Habyarimana’s death and the start of the genocide, members of the Reconnaissance Battalion commanded by Nzuwonemeye’s subordinate, Innocent Sagahutu “tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed” Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. They also took into custody ten Belgian peacekeepers from UNAMIR who had been guarding her house, who were later killed.

Sagahutu a member of the Rwandan Armed forces, in 1994 held the rank of captain. He was second-in-command of the Reconnaissance Battalion (RECCE), serving under battalion commander Major François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye.

According to the indictment, between 1990 and 1994, Sagahutu and other officers conspired to exterminate Tutsi civilians. They distributed weapons and prepared lists of people to be eliminated. 

The indictment accused Sagahutu and the four other defendants of conspiring to perpetrate genocide, mass rape, sexual assault, and murder of giving the orders that led to these crimes and of doing nothing to stop the crimes when they took place.

Sagahutu , after fleeing the country after the RPF victory, was arrested on February 15, 2000. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.