Key suspect in Rwanda terror trial alleges torture

Young Rwandans at a genocide vigil at Amahoro National Stadium, Kigali. Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of a former child soldier who was expected to testify before French judges investigating the the plane crash that killed two presidents and is believed to have sparked off the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA 

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, The EastAfrican

In Summary

• Jean Paul Dukuzumuremyi, a demobilised soldier, is accused alongside Kizito Mihigo, journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga and Agnes Niyibizi of conspiring to murder or harm the country’s top leaders including President Paul Kagame, plotting grenade attacks and conspiring to overthrow the government.
• Dukuzumuremyi’s claims came shortly after Kizito, an erstwhile prominent musician close to the government, dismissed his lawyers for refusing to back him in pleading guilty and assist him to ask for the court’s leniency.

One of the key suspects in the terror trial involving singer Kizito Mihigo has claimed that he was tortured for weeks and forced to admit to charges that include plotting grenade attacks in the capital Kigali.

Jean Paul Dukuzumuremyi, a demobilised soldier, is accused alongside Kizito Mihigo, journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga and Agnes Niyibizi of conspiring to murder or harm the country’s top leaders including President Paul Kagame, plotting grenade attacks and conspiring to overthrow the government.

The four were arrested in April this year and pleaded guilty to all the charges during the pre-trial hearing on April 22. But when the trial went into substance at the beginning of November, only Kizito Mihigo pleaded guilty to all charges and begged the court’s leniency.

READ: Kizito Mihigo pleads guilty as co-accused deny treason

The trial, however, took a twist on Friday when a seemingly angry Dukuzumuremyi told the court that he confessed to the crimes he is charged with under duress and after torture that lasted over a month in an unknown place.

Dukuzumuremyi’s claims came shortly after Kizito, an erstwhile prominent musician close to the government, dismissed his lawyers for refusing to back him in pleading guilty and assist him to ask for the court’s leniency.

The singer accused his lawyers Felix Musore and John Bigarama of choosing to go a different way by maintaining that there is no evidence to prove that the singer committed the alleged crimes.

The court granted his wishes of either representing himself or getting new lawyers.

Dukuzumuremyi, who is accused of conspiracy to form a terror group, treason, plotting to murder or harm top leaders of the country and terrorism, said he was “forced to rehearse” the charges.

However, the former soldier denied all the charges, telling the court that they were fabricated by security organs.

“I had no capacity or resources to plan the alleged attacks. Prosecutors have been contradicting themselves. At one point they said I was arrested with the grenades and today they say I was arrested while I was going to buy them,” said Dukuzumuremyi. “All these allegations are not true. The Court should ask the prosecutors to present the said grenades before the judges.”

In her submission, Beatrice Mukeshimana, Dukuzumuremyi’s lawyer, reiterated that the court should accord her client the right to give his side of the story, rather than succumbing to the “intimidating approach” of the prosecution to the case.

However, her accusation did not go down well with prosecutors who accused her of contempt of not only court but also a national entity such as the prosecution.

The case was adjourned to December 12 when Agnes Niyibizi, who is accused of paying Rwf3 million ($0.0043 million) to Dukuzumuremyi to carry out the terror activities, will make her submissions.