SOUTHERN PROVINCE RUHANGO—Two former leaders from Adventists missions in Gitwe appeared before Jyoma sector Gacaca courts last week to answer charges of Genocide in the area. Influential in the Adventist College of Gitwe during the Genocide, Thaddues Mukezabatware, an employee of the NGO Adventist Relief Agency, and Elizifan Nzaramba, an accountant have been tried on lower category crimes along with former prison guard Paul Muzindutsi. The delayed trial of the three suspects recently caused a row between survivors and Gacaca judges as the latter were accused of consistently misplacing the burying of dossiers since last year. Earlier testimonies of survivors indicate that an unknown numbers of Genocide victims are still buried in Gitwe missions and decried for information on the whereabouts so as to bestow a decent burial. So far, 85 pastors and residents allegedly killed by peers in 1994 have been buried since May of 2007 and the residents accuse the Adventist church of blocking local justice using the biblical teachings before and after Gacaca session. In their testimonies, survivors allege that the suspects masterminded the death of Petero Muligande and Job Ngabonziza, among many unknown numbers residents murdered inside the church mission. Mulingande’s brother, Mulinda Byuma Isidore, allege that Nzaramba and Mukezabatware organized the capture of his deceased brother, latter dragged on his back from Gitwe to the mission to be killed. During the trial, Mukazabatware and Nzaramba stated that they had no involvement in the said killings and don’t have any information relating to the deaths, adding that rather they saved “a couple of lives” and possessed a clean reputation. Survivors cross-checked by the defence say that proper information on the deceased ones should be provided since none of the victims committed suicide. Ends
