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Strike blocks Rwanda genocide tribunal
itâs gone from ridiculous to obscene. Defence lawyers at the international court to try people over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda have gone on strike. The strike has led to the postponement of three trials at the court, based in the Tanzanian town of Arusha. The lawyers say the tribunal is skewed in favour of the prosecution and one told the BBC "a fair trial is impossible." Officials deny the claims. Certainly true if youâre a dead victim hoping for justice. Some 46 people face charges in Arusha for the killing of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The trial involving one of the alleged masterminds of the genocide, Theoneste Bagosora, is among those postponed. The trial of the first woman to be charged with genocide, former Minister of the Family and Womenâs Affairs Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, was also delayed. She is accused of inciting the rape of Tutsi women during the genocide, among other charges. Family and womenâs affairs? Which family, al-Ghamdiâs or Tony Sopranoâs? Striking lawyer Christopher Black told the BBCâs Network Africa programme that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was being used as a political tool for the United States. "Itâs all Americaâs fault with their emphasis on justice and accountability!" "The tribunal wants us here to make it look legitimate but it doesnât want us to represent the suspects effectively." He said that defence investigators were not given as much money as the prosecution teams. The lawyers also want better access to their clients and to be given the names of prosecution witnesses, many of whom testify anonymously at present. Think there might be a reason for that, Chris? Mr Black denied that the lawyers were striking to get more money from the United Nations-backed trial for themselves, insisting the action was to protect the interests of their clients. Pure as the driven snow. Correspondents say the tribunal has speeded up its work in recent months and has now convicted 17 people in eight years. The Rwandan Government had accused it of being too slow and inefficient. Two a year? Yep. Last year, Hassan Jallow from The Gambia replaced Posted by: Steve White 2004-01-29 |
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