Uwinkindi appeal ruling postponed

High Court has postponed the ruling on the appeal by genocide suspect Jean Bosco Uwinkindi to September 24, 2012. Presiding Judge Antoine Muhima cited lack of time to revise the submissions for the postponement. “Proceedings on this appeal closed late on Friday. On Monday we had the (Léon) Mugesera case which closed late as well. Basically, we have not got enough time to revise the submissions in your case,” the judge told the defendant. Uwinkindi who arrived at the court amid tight security appealed against 30 day provisional detention ordered by the Nyarugenge lower court.Uwinkindi, a former pastor with the Pentecostal Church in Kanzenze, Bugesera in the former Kigali-Rural Prefecture, is accused of unleashing killers on thousands of Tutsi refugees, including members of his church, during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.Uwinkindi was transfered to Rwanda four months ago from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), based in Arusha, Tanzania.According to a distinctive law concerning the transfer of Genocide suspects to Rwanda by ICTR, Uwinkindi is supposed to be tried by a special chamber of the High Court.He is detained at the special transit facility at Kigali Central Prison, designated for suspects transferred from the ICTR or other jurisdictions.Since being granted four months to prepare his defence, Uwinkindi has refused to respond to questions from the prosecution.The special transfer law, under which Uwinkindi will be tried, grants the accused the right to remain silent and they can always speak through their lawyers.The decision to transfer Uwinkindi to Rwanda was first made in June 2011 by the tribunal’s referral chamber, and later upheld by the appeals chamber, after the Rwandan judiciary was found competent enough to handle cases of international calibre.Uwinkindi is charged with three counts of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity.

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Uwinkindi appeal ruling postponed