Mushayidi appears in court

KIGALI - Deo Mushayidi yesterday appeared in Nyarugenge Intermediate Court following his arrest in Burundi and subsequent extradition on March 5. He was officially charged with six charges that include, causing state insecurity, working with the terrorist FDLR, remnants of the Ex-FAR and Interahamwe militia responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and using false documents. The prosecution, represented by Richard Muhumuza, also accuses Mushayidi of promoting genocide revisionism, genocide ideology and sowing seeds of divisionism. Mushayidi applied for bail but the prosecution opposed arguing that granting bail will cause more problems because he might abscond. Muhumuza told court that Mushayidi had fled the country in the past when there was no threat against him. “By granting him bail when he is aware of these charges, he will obviously run away from justice,” Muhumuza told court. The court is set to rule on the matter today. Mushayidi is also said to be part of a wider terror network that includes renegade military officers, Lt Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa and Patrick Karegyeya. He is said to have been criss-crossing the region for the past year in a bid to set up a network for his armed group, PDP-Imanzi. Mushayidi’s arrest came barely days after prosecution linked grenade attacks that took place last month on the defected senior RDF officers, who are now reported to be in South Africa. Ends

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Mushayidi appears in court