Seven medical doctors jailed 30 years

The Gacaca court Ngoma Sector, Huye district in the Southern Province on Wednesday September 05 sentenced seven medical doctors to 30 years imprisonment over Genocide related crimes.The court chaired by its president Jean Baptiste Ndahumba sentenced Drs, Jean Nepo Nsingiyumva, Pascal Habarugira, Celetei Bararengana, Munyemana Sositeni, Ignace Bizimana, Pierre Mugabo, and Bruno Ngirabatware. During the trial, doctors were accused of alleged intent decline to treat critically injured and starving patients as a tactic to leave them die in 1994.Nsingiyumva and Habarugira were tried in a joint trial and found guilty of committing Genocide crimes on patients who were in Butare University hospital. Bararengana, Munyemana, Bizimana, and Mugabo were also charged with the same crimes and sentenced in absentia. Evidence displayed by witnesses during the trial to pin the doctors included spears, hoes, clubs and machetes which were then picked from the doctors’ residences still dripping with blood immediately after Genocide.Before Ndahumba read the court decision, he first read the charge sheet that alleged doctors for having organised meetings at the Faculty of Medicine hall of the National University of Rwanda where they apparently incited Hutus to hunt for Tutsis and kill them.” These doctors betrayed their oath. They were accomplices in the deaths of people they had an obligation to save,” said Ndahumba.Ngirabatware skipped the trial and his case was postponed to September 12, after he wrote to the court claiming that he was sick and that he could not turn up for trial, attached on his letter was a medical certificate.Rugirimana is said to have fled in fear of being prosecuted while others accused are currently living in Europe.The court ordered the arrest of those sentenced in absentia. Meanwhile, the National Executive Secretary for Gacaca Jurisdiction, Domitilla Mukantaganzwa said that Gacaca would ensure that those sentenced are arrested and face justice.“We work closely with the police and those and the doctors sentenced in absentia would be traced, arrested and serve their sentence,” said Mukantaganzwa. During the trial, a witness alleged Habarugira also raped a woman identified as Anastasia who died later.Usually cases involving rape are considered in the first category and tried by the classical courts.But, Mukantaganzwa said that the rape allegations came after Habarugira’s dossier had already been sealed.She however added, “In such circumstances, the charge is not dropped, it is forwarded to the prosecution and the prosecutors carry out further investigations,” said Mukantaganzwa.“Habarugira may appear in classical courts to answer rape charges leveled against him,” Mukantaganzwa added.Ends