OWN CORRESPONDENT, Arusha | Thursday 11.15am.
PROSECUTORS at the United Nations war crimes tribunal for Rwanda sitting in Arusha, Tanzania, have demanded a life sentence for former Rwandan prime minister Jean Kambanda, who pleaded guilty to genocide.
Life imprisonment is the maximum penalty the international court can give Kambanda, who led Rwanda’s Hutu extremist government during the genocide of up to 800000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994.
Deputy prosecutor Bernard Muna of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda requested life imprisonment for Kambanda, 43, who pleaded guilty to genocide and crimes against humanity before the tribunal on May 1.
However, Muna asked the judges, in their deliberations, to take into consideration Kambanda’s ”voluntary admission” of guilt and ”his willingness and availability to assist the prosecution.”
Under the ICT’s procedural rules, based on English common law principles, when a defendant pleads guilty there is no presentation of evidence or witness testimony.
Before pleading guilty to genocide, involvement in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity, Kambanda had reached a secret agreement with the prosecution, handed under seal to the clerk of the ICT.
Under the agreement, the former prime minister may testify against other major genocide suspects. Muna stressed however that the pact contained ”no promises” in exchange for Kambanda’s admission of guilt.
Kambanda’s Cameroonian lawyer, Michael Oliver Ingliss, for his part, called for a prison sentence of two years to facilitate ”the healing of wounds” and ”reconciliation”. The request was met with incredulity in the courtroom.
Meanwhile, Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor who on Wednesday was the first defendant to be found guilty of genocide by an international court, is likely to receive a life sentence at a later hearing. He is expected to appeal the conviction. Wednesday’s late