On 1 March 2010, the Assize Court of Brussels agreed to a new trial for Rwanda’s former Interhamwe leader, Ephrem Nkezabera, who was sentenced in absentia to 30 years’ imprisonment in December 2009.
As reported by the Hirondelle News Agency, the court granted Nkezabera’s request on grounds that he could neither attend his trial nor the verdict as he was suffering from cancer. According to the Registry, the Assize Court’s schedule was overbooked and a new trial was not possible before next year.
At the time of the genocide, Nkezabera, 57, was one of the five Directors of the Commercial Bank of Rwanda. He was also the economic and financial advisor of the notorious Interahamwe militia and a shareholder of the hate-radio station RTLM.
During the judicial investigation, Nkezabera conceded to having armed and financed Interahamwe in order to exterminate Tutsis and moderate Hutus. He also admitted that during a public meeting in 1993 he had “encouraged” the Interahamwe to carry out massacres.
Nkezabera also admitted to have made financial contributions to the notorious RTLM radio station, which openly called for killings of ethnic Tutsis on its airwaves. However, the accused rejected the rape charge.
The Assize Court of Brussels had unanimously sentenced Nkezabera for war crimes, including murder and rape. It was the first time in Belgian judicial history that rape was considered a war crime.
Source: Hirondelle News Agency
