NDINDABAHIZI ORDERED THE KILLING OF TUTSI WOMEN MARRIED TO HUTUS

September 15, 2003 – (Hirondelle News Agency - Lausanne) The tenth prosecution witness testifying at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda against genocide suspect and former Rwandan Minister of Finance Emmanuel Ndindabahizi, on Monday said that the accused had ordered Hutus to kill Tutsi women married to Hutu men during the 1994 genocide.

Ndindabahizi 53, is charged with three counts including genocide and crimes against humanity (extermination and murder).He allegedly perpetrated massacres of civilians in his home prefecture of Kibuye, western Rwanda.

The protected witness, a farmer from Kibuye prefecture, said he saw and heard the former minister telling Hutus at a road block not to spare Tutsi women married to Hutus.

"As for Tutsi women married to Hutus, you have to kill them otherwise they will poison you," Ndindabahizi allegedly told the Hutus who were manning the road block.

He recalled that it was towards the end of May 1994, and that he was hiding in a bush some thirty meters away from the roadblock. The suspect had arrived in his personal car and a pick-up which was carrying machetes.

After Ndindabahizi had addressed the crowd, three people who were leaders of the group manning the roadblock distributed the machetes. As Ndindabahizi left towards Kibuye, the attackers were singing,"let us exterminate them," the witness added.

Ndindabahizi's defence counsel, Pascal Besnier (France), questioned why the witness had not made any accusations against Ndindabahizi at the time he gave evidence against the people who were manning the roadblock in a Rwandan court.

The witness said he did not talk about Ndindabahizi because he had fled and he did not know his whereabouts.

The trial continues on Tuesday with the testimony of the eleventh prosecution witness.

Ndindabahizi's trial is heard by Trial Chamber composed One of Judge Erik Mose (Norway) presiding, assisted by Judges Khalida Rachid (Pakistan) and Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda).

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200309160189.html