Genocide suspect Venant Rutunga consults with his lawyer during his appearance before Kicukiro Primary Court on August 12. / Dan Nsengiyumva

Kicukiro Primary Court, on Tuesday, August 17 remanded Genocide suspect Venant Rutunga, saying there is enough reasonable ground to suspect him of having committed the crimes for which he is being prosecuted.

Rutunga, 72, is charged with three counts: Genocide, complicity in committing Genocide, and extermination as a crime against humanity.

He was extradited last month from The Netherlands.

He is said to have committed the alleged crimes mostly between April 26 and 30, 1994 in Butare (current Huye District) where he was working as the Regional Director of the Rwanda Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR-Rubona).

During a hearing held last week, prosecutors outlined to court a number of actions by the defendant during the genocide that led to loss of many lives – especially former employees of the institution he was leading.

Among these, they accused him of having participated in the killing of Epaphrodite Kalisa and George Ndamaje, two Tutsi employees at ISAR, when he instructed the Gendarmes (policemen) to hunt for them and kill them.

The prosecutors also pinned him on, among others, an incident where he allegedly drove a car and went to meet the then Prefect of Butare, to request him for armed policemen to assist in killing the Tutsis who had successfully defended themselves against the Interahamwe.

In his defence, Rutunga denied the charges.

He said that while he knew Ndamage and Kalisa, he never took part in their killing, arguing that those that killed them were tried and sentenced.

He admitted that he went to meet with the Prefect of Butare and requested for policemen, but the aim was not to kill Tutsis, but rather, “to defend ISAR from attacks by intruders” because he had learnt that there was an imminent attack that would happen.

In fact, he argued that, while he was away, the attackers came in, killed people and destroyed property, including his own house.

During the bail ruling held on Tuesday, presiding judge Dorothee Yankurije declared that the court has found enough reasonable ground for suspecting Rutunga for the crimes, since, among other things, he admitted that he knew the two employees who were killed, though he denied having taken part in the crime.

In addition, Yankurije said that Rutunga also admitted that he went to the Prefect of Butare to request for policemen, though he argued that it was not aimed at killing people.

“He said he brought the policemen to protect ISAR’s campus against an attack. However, witnesses say the policemen killed people. And, he did not showcase to court that he did anything to calm the situation,” she said. 

With that, among other observations, Yankurije remanded Rutunga, so that the case will proceed while he is in jail.

He is the third person to be extradited from the European country. - Hudson Kuteesa, The New Times