The Military High Court has announced that it will pass its verdict in the trial involving 38 people attached to the P5 militia on January 7, 2022. The group is being prosecuted in regard to the deadly attacks that the militia carried out against civilians of Kinigi sector, Musanze district on the night of October 5, 2019, among other charges. During the attacks, 15 people lost their lives, 14 were injured, and property was looted or destroyed. Their trial in substance which started in May this year, came to a conclusion on Thursday, December 9. The defendants face multiple counts ranging from murder and being part of a terror group, to armed robbery and battery among others. Some of them directly took part in the attacks, while others claim they had remained at their rear base in the Democratic Republic of Congo when the incursion took place. Military prosecution has called for life sentences for all of them. During the latest session, the lawyers representing the victims of the attack presented to court the compensations that they are seeking from the defendants. Altogether, the victims are seeking a combined Rwf105,030,000 in compensation for the losses they incurred in the attacks. The victims include those who lost loved ones, those who were injured, those who lost property, among others. Addressing the judges, Marie Louise Mukashema, one of the lawyers representing the victims said the compensation should be paid collectively by all the defendants, irrespective of their role in the attack. “Some of them are claiming that they should not pay compensation since they were not on the scene when the crimes were taking place, however, the court should examine their role in regard to facilitating these attacks,” she said. “These crimes were pre-planned by the whole group when they were in the DRC,” she added. Alice Umulisa, another lawyer representing the victims said: “There is no way that a person who took part in preparing the incursion can be exempted from paying compensations.” However, the lawyers of the defendants challenged the argument. For example, Neema Uwineza, a lawyer who represents five of the defendants said her clients should not pay compensation related to crimes that they did not do. “Prosecution charged each of the defendants on an individual basis, depending on what they did. Some of them cannot be asked to pay compensation for crimes murder, for example, because they did not take part in it,” she said.
