Start of trial in Prosecutor v. Félicien Kabuga scheduled for 29 and 30 September 2022 and 5 and 6 October 2022: Accreditation procedure now open for the Mechanism’s Arusha branch

The accreditation procedure is now open for those wishing to attend broadcasts at the Arusha branch of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) of the Opening Statements and the commencement of the presentation of evidence in the case of Prosecutor v. Félicien Kabuga.

The Opening Statements are scheduled to be heard on Thursday, 29 September 2022 and Friday, 30 September 2022 at 10:00 CEST/11:00 EAT in the Courtroom of the Hague branch of the Mechanism, followed by the commencement of the presentation of evidence on Wednesday, 5 October 2022 and Thursday, 6 October 2022 at 10:00 CEST/11:00 EAT.

Media representatives wishing to enter the Mechanism’s premises in Arusha on 29 and 30 September 2022 for the broadcasts of the Opening Statements, and/or on 5 and 6 October 2022 for the commencement of the presentation of evidence, must submit an accreditation request to mict-press@un.org by Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 CEST/13:00 EAT. Accreditation requests should specify the days for which accreditation is being requested and include the full name of the media outlet, journalist(s), camerapersons, and other technicians, as well as passport or ID number. Please also indicate if you need transportation support.

Non-media representatives (including members of the diplomatic corps) and members of the public wishing to attend the broadcasts of the opening statements and/or the commencement of the presentation of evidence must request accreditation by sending an email to mict-external-relations@un.org by Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 CEST/13:00 EAT.

The hearings will be screened with a 30-minute delay.

Accredited media representatives, non-media representatives, and members of the public will be notified by email of the status of their accreditation and collection details by COB on Wednesday, 28 September 2022.

Technical information

The hearings will be publicly broadcast on the Mechanism’s website with a 30-minute delay and will be available at the following link: https://www.irmct.org/en/cases/mict-courtroom-broadcast. The hearings can be followed in English, French, and Kinyarwanda.

Filming of the proceedings will be carried out by authorised Mechanism staff and an audiovisual copy of the hearing will be distributed after the hearing is complete. Media representatives wishing to obtain footage of the hearing should send a request to mict-press@un.org. Please note that footage will be provided in the MP4 format and it will include the option of English, French, Kinyarwanda, or floor channels.

Media representatives wishing to record the broadcast are requested to let the Mechanism know as soon as possible. Please indicate if you prefer English, French, or Kinyarwanda. After reviewing the requests and preferences of all visitors, the Mechanism will determine the language of the broadcast, which will be the language available to authorised representatives for recording.

Case Background

Félicien Kabuga was the President of the Comité d’initiative of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (“RTLM”) during the time of the crimes pleaded in the Indictment and President of the Comité provisoire of the Fonds de défense nationale (“National Defence Fund”) from about 25 April 1994 to July 1994.

The Indictment states that between 6 April 1994 and 17 July 1994, genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group occurred in Rwanda, and that, throughout Rwanda, there were widespread and/or systematic attacks against the civilian population based on Tutsi ethnic identification and/or political grounds.

According to the Indictment, Kabuga, a founder of the radio station RTLM, operated it with others in a manner that furthered hatred and violence against Tutsi and others and that he and others agreed to disseminate an anti-Tutsi message with the goal to eliminate the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda. Specifically, the Indictment alleges that RTLM directly and publicly incited the commission of genocide and persecution through denigrating and threatening broadcasts. These broadcasts expressly identified persons as Tutsi or as “accomplices” or “allies” of the Rwandan Patriotic Front and, in some instances, provided locations and other information that encouraged or facilitated their killing. The Indictment alleges that Kabuga is liable for these crimes based on his participation in a joint criminal enterprise with others involved in RTLM’s operations, as well as aiding and abetting the criminal conduct of RTLM journalists, Interahamwe, and others whose crimes were assisted or instigated by RTLM broadcasts.

Kabuga is further charged with aiding and abetting Interahamwe who killed and harmed Tutsi and others in Kigali-Ville, Gisenyi, and Kibuye prefectures by having provided material, logistical, financial, and moral support to them. As an example, the Indictment alleges that Kabuga supported a core group of Interahamwe in Kimironko, Kigali, known as “Kabuga’s Interahamwe” in numerous ways and that this group participated in attacks, killing and harming Tutsi and others in Kigali-Ville prefecture at roadblocks, places of refuge, and houses. Kabuga is further alleged to have raised funds to purchase weapons and ammunition and to have played a role in importing arms and ammunition which were distributed to Interahamwe in Gisenyi prefecture. The Indictment alleges that these supplies were used for committing crimes in Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Kigali-Ville prefectures.

On 16 May 2020, Kabuga was arrested near Paris by French authorities as the result of a joint investigation with the Mechanism Office of the Prosecutor.

On 30 September 2020, the French Cour de cassation rejected Kabuga’s appeal against the lower court’s decision authorising his transfer to the custody of the Mechanism.

On 1 October 2020, then-President Carmel Agius assigned this case to a Trial Chamber composed of Judge Iain Bonomy, Presiding, Judge Graciela Susana Gatti Santana, and Judge Elizabeth Ibanda-Nahamya, effective upon the transfer of Kabuga to the seat of the relevant branch of the Mechanism.

On 21 October 2020, Judge Iain Bonomy amended the warrant of arrest and order for transfer, and ordered that Kabuga be transferred to the Hague branch of the Mechanism based on a request from the Defence, which was supported by the Prosecutor and the Registrar, to allow for further medical assessments to determine whether Kabuga may be safely transferred to the Arusha branch of the Mechanism for trial. Kabuga was transferred to the Mechanism’s custody at the Hague branch on 26 October 2020.

Kabuga’s initial appearance took place on 11 November 2020, during which a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf with respect to the charges in the indictment.

Since Kabuga’s initial appearance, the Pre-Trial Judge or the Trial Chamber held regular status conferences. In view of Covid-19 restrictions, the first status conference was held by way of written procedure, commencing by an order of the Trial Chamber issued on 9 March 2021 and concluding by an order of the Trial Chamber filed on 6 April 2021. Subsequent in-person status conferences were held on 1 June 2021, 6 October 2021, 3 February 2022, 11 May 2022, and 18 August 2022.

Pursuant to the Trial Chamber’s Decision on Prosecution Motion to Amend the Indictment, issued on 24 February 2021, the Prosecution filed its Second Amended Indictment on 1 March 2021 (“Indictment”). Moreover, the Trial Chamber took judicial notice of 45 adjudicated facts and facts of common knowledge, and it has issued decisions related to the admission of evidence of approximately 70 Prosecution witnesses pursuant to Rules 110, 111, or 112 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the Mechanism.

Since shortly after Kabuga’s transfer to the Hague branch, the Trial Chamber has also been receiving twice-monthly medical reports from the United Nations Detention Unit’s Medical Officer related to Kabuga’s health, in order to determine his fitness to travel to and be detained at the Arusha branch of the Mechanism. In view of a Defence request for the appointment of medical experts to assess Kabuga’s fitness to stand trial, the Trial Chamber appointed three independent medical experts, one Prosecution medical expert, and one Defence medical expert. The Trial Chamber held hearings on 31 May, 1 June, and 7 June 2022 to allow for the examination of three of the medical experts and submissions of the parties on Kabuga’s fitness to stand trial and to be detained in Arusha.

In the Decision on Félicien Kabuga’s Fitness to Stand Trial and to be Transferred to and Detained in Arusha, issued on 13 June 2022, the Trial Chamber found that the Defence had not established that Kabuga is presently unfit for trial. In the same decision, the Trial Chamber, nonetheless, noted that Kabuga suffers from cognitive impairment, is in a vulnerable and fragile state, and requires intensive medical care and monitoring. The Trial Chamber further considered uniform medical expert evidence that transfer to Arusha presents risks of disruption to Kabuga’s familiar surroundings, which may materially and adversely impact the ability to swiftly commence and conclude his trial. In view of Kabuga’s age and fragile health, as well as his fundamental right to fair and expeditious proceedings without undue delay, the Trial Chamber decided that Kabuga shall remain detained at the Hague branch of the Mechanism and that his trial shall commence there until otherwise decided. The Trial Chamber did not foreclose that proceedings might take place in Arusha should Kabuga’s condition improve.

On 20 June 2022, Kabuga filed a motion for certification to appeal the Trial Chamber’s finding in the decision of 13 June 2022 that Kabuga was fit to stand trial. On 23 June 2022, the Trial Chamber certified for appeal the issue of Kabuga’s fitness to stand trial, and informed the parties that proceedings shall continue while the interlocutory appeal was pending. Kabuga filed his appeal on 30 June 2022 and, by order of the same date, the then-President assigned the appeal to a Bench of the Appeals Chamber composed of Judge Carmel Agius, Presiding, Judge Burton Hall, Judge Liu Daqun, Judge Aminatta Lois Runeni N’gum, and Judge José Ricardo de Prada Solaesa. On 12 August 2022, the Appeals Chamber dismissed the appeal in its entirely.

The Pre-Trial Conference was held at the Hague branch of the Mechanism on 18 August 2022.

On 26 August 2022, President Graciela Gatti Santana issued the Order Replacing a Judge and Assigning a Reserve Judge. The President assigned Judge Mustapha El Baaj to replace her on the Bench and Judge Margaret deGuzman to serve as the Reserve Judge in this case.

The Opening Statements are scheduled to be heard on 29 and 30 September 2022 and the Prosecution is expected to commence presenting evidence on 5 October 2022. As a result of Kabuga’s health condition and based on medical advice, the Trial Chamber anticipates holding court sessions three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) for two hours per day (10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. Hague time).