This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/6270746.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Rwanda major guilty of UN murders | Rwanda major guilty of UN murders |
(about 20 hours later) | |
A former Rwandan army major is due to be sentenced after being found guilty of murdering 10 Belgian peacekeepers in the early days of the 1994 genocide. | |
Bernard Ntuyahaga, 55, was cleared by a Belgian court of the murder of then Rwandan PM Agathe Uwilingiyimana. | |
The Belgian United Nations peacekeepers were killed in front of Rwandan army officers, including Ntuyahaga. | The Belgian United Nations peacekeepers were killed in front of Rwandan army officers, including Ntuyahaga. |
The murders triggered the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers. Some 800,000 moderate Hutus and Tutsis died in the genocide. | |
Prosecutors said Ntuyahaga took the peacekeepers from the residence of the PM, whom they were trying to protect. | Prosecutors said Ntuyahaga took the peacekeepers from the residence of the PM, whom they were trying to protect. |
He then handed them over to fellow soldiers in a military camp in the capital, Kigali, where they were beaten to death, shot or slain with machetes. | He then handed them over to fellow soldiers in a military camp in the capital, Kigali, where they were beaten to death, shot or slain with machetes. |
The BBC's Mark Doyle, who was in Rwanda during the genocide, said the killing of the peacekeepers marked a crucial point because it left the UN force unable to control the situation. | The BBC's Mark Doyle, who was in Rwanda during the genocide, said the killing of the peacekeepers marked a crucial point because it left the UN force unable to control the situation. |
The 12 jurors are reconvening in the Belgian court on Thursday to decide on the sentence. | |
'Very important day' | 'Very important day' |
Ntuyahaga can appeal against the verdict on procedural grounds but not on substance. | Ntuyahaga can appeal against the verdict on procedural grounds but not on substance. |
THIRTEEN-YEAR WAIT April 1994: Ntuyahaga hands over Belgians to be slaughtered at a Kigali military campMarch 1999: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda drops charges against himMarch 2004: After a lengthy extradition battle, he flies to Belgium voluntarilyApril 2007: He goes on trial at Brussels assize court | THIRTEEN-YEAR WAIT April 1994: Ntuyahaga hands over Belgians to be slaughtered at a Kigali military campMarch 1999: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda drops charges against himMarch 2004: After a lengthy extradition battle, he flies to Belgium voluntarilyApril 2007: He goes on trial at Brussels assize court |
"Sooner or later the truth will triumph, I believe that. I remain patient and I keep faith, thank you," Ntuyahaga told the court moments before the jury retired to consider its verdict. | "Sooner or later the truth will triumph, I believe that. I remain patient and I keep faith, thank you," Ntuyahaga told the court moments before the jury retired to consider its verdict. |
Christine Dupont, the widow of Belgian peacekeeper Christophe Dupont, said before the verdict: "It's a very important day, a day we have been waiting for the last 13 years." | Christine Dupont, the widow of Belgian peacekeeper Christophe Dupont, said before the verdict: "It's a very important day, a day we have been waiting for the last 13 years." |
It is not the first time Rwandans have stood trial in Belgium over the genocide. | It is not the first time Rwandans have stood trial in Belgium over the genocide. |
Two Catholic nuns, a university professor and a businessman were sentenced in 2001 to between 12 and 20 years' jail for aiding the mass murders. | Two Catholic nuns, a university professor and a businessman were sentenced in 2001 to between 12 and 20 years' jail for aiding the mass murders. |