Skip to Content

Trial of elderly Rwanda genocide suspect opens at UN court

KTVZ

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A frail 87-year-old Rwandan accused of encouraging and bankrolling the country’s 1994 genocide has refused to attend the opening of his trial at a United Nations tribunal, nearly three decades after the 100-day massacre left 800,000 dead. Félicien Kabuga is one of the last fugitives charged over the genocide to face justice and, even without him in court Thursday, the start of his trial marks a key day of reckoning for Rwandans who survived the killings. The slaughter of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority was ignited on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying the country’s president was shot down, killing the leader who, like the majority of Rwandans, was an ethnic Hutu. Kabuga has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces a maximum life sentence.

Article Topic Follows: AP National News

Jump to comments ↓

Associated Press

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content