Genocide case begins
2009-06-16 15:49
Helsinki - Finnish court officials say they have begun hearing a case against a Rwandan man who lives in Finland and has been charged with genocide and murder in his home country.
The Porvoo District Court says 58-year-old Francois Bazaramba faces a life sentence if found guilty of the crimes he allegedly committed in 1994.
The prosecution says Bazaramba was guilty of genocide in Rwanda "with intent to destroy the Rwandan Tutsi partly or totally" in April and May 1994.
Bazaramba denied all the charges in court on Tuesday. He has been in Finnish police custody since April 2007.
The trial will reopen later this year after the two-day preliminary hearing ends on Wednesday.
- AP