Key genocide hearing starts
2008-04-24 14:50
Arusha - The international court handling crimes committed during the Rwanda genocide opened a hearing on Thursday to determine whether cases can eventually be transferred to the Rwandan judiciary.
The Tanzania-based International Criminal Court for Rwanda (ICTR) is required by the UN Security Council to wrap up first instance proceedings by year's end.
But 14 years after the genocide, in which about 800 000 people were massacred, many cases have been slow to get off the ground and the ICTR is seeking to hand over some cases to Rwandan courts.
"It's a historical hearing... a key turning pint," ICTR spokesperson Roland Amoussouga said.
The debate on the transfer of jurisdiction was taking place during the trial of Yussuf Munyakazi, a former businessman accused of genocide and extermination.
Human rights organisations have balked at the prospect of some cases being transferred to Rwanda, whose institutions they argue do not offer sufficient guarantees of a fair trial.
- AFP