Alphonse Nteziryayo was arrested at the request of the Chief Prosecutor of the ICTR on 24 April 1998 in Burkina Faso. Prior to this he had already been arrested by the judicial authorities of Burkina Faso, but they had subsequently released him. On 21 May 1998, he was transferred to the United Nations prison quarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
At his initial court appearance on 17 August 1998, Nteziryayo pleaded not guilty to all of the counts with which he was indicted according to a first bill of indictment. After his bill of indictment had been modified by a decision of 10 August 1999, which increased to nine the number of counts with which he was charged, Nteziryayo again pleaded not guilty.
On 6 October 1999, the ICTR-on request of the Chief Prosecutor- ordered a combined trial for Nteziryayo and five other persons accused of crimes committed in the Butare prefecture of Rwanda in 1994. The five co-accused are: Pauline Nyiramasuhuko (Minister for the Family and Woman’s Development) and her son, Arsène Shalom Ntahobali (leader of group of militiamen), Sylvain Nsabimana (former Prefect of Butare), Joseph Kanyabashi (Mayor of Ngoma) and Elie Ndayambaje (Mayor of Muganza). (See “related cases”).
Alphonse Nteziryayo was accused of “conspiracy to commit genocide”, “genocide”, in addition to “direct and public incitement to commit genocide”, “murder as a crime against humanity”, “extermination as a crime against humanity”, “persecution on political, racial or religious grounds as a crime against humanity”, “inhumane acts as a crime against humanity” and war crimes.
His trial entitled “the collective trial of the Butare group” commenced on 12 June 2001 before the Second Trial Chamber of the ICTR. The trial is currently underway. |
