Mugesera back in court

Leon Mugesera, regarded as one of the chief architects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is expected to re-appear before Nyarugenge Intermediate Court to inform the court on whether he has succeeded in putting together his defence team.Mugesera first appeared before the same court on February 2 and at the time, requested two months to prepare his defence. The two months elapsed and he informed the court that he still hadn’t put his defence team together.He asked for another month to communicate to his lawyers.“The month elapses tomorrow (today) and he will be taken back to court.“Over the past one month, Mugesera was fully facilitated to speak to his lawyers. If he doesn’t ask for more time then the bail hearing should be starting soon,” said John Bosco Siboyintore, Head of Fugitive Tracking Unit.The suspect, who had lived in Canada since late 1992, had hinted on putting together a team of seven lawyers, saying some would be foreigners. Mugesera will be appearing in the same court that rejected his plea to have his case heard in French.He had appealed against the decision on the language of use during the trial in a petition he filed at the High Court which later upheld the ruling that his trial be held in Kinyarwanda.Mugesera’s charges are expected to centre on a speech he delivered in the western part of the country in 1992 in which he openly called for the extermination of the Tutsi.A lecturer of linguistics at the time, he made a lengthy venomous speech addressing a rally assembled by the notorious MRND party, which was central in the organisation of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

National

Mugesera back in court