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NZABONIMANA V Tribunal Pénal International pour le Rwanda International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES IN THE APPEALS CHAMBER Before: Judge Mehmet Güney, Presiding Judge William H. Sekule Judge Arlette Ramaroson Judge Khalida Rachid Khan Judge Koffi Kumelio A. Afan|e Registrar: Mr. Bongani Majola Judgement: 29 September 2014 CALLIXTE NZABONIMANA v. THE PROSECUTOR Case No . ICTR-98-44D-A ________________________________________________________________________________ JUDGEMENT ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Counsel for Callixte Nzabonimana Mr. Vincent Courcelle-Labrousse Mr. Philippe Larochelle Office of the Prosecutor Mr. Hassan Bubacar Jallow Mr. James J. Arguin Mr. Steffen Wirth Ms. Alison McFarlane Ms. Mary Diana Karanja CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1 A. BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................1 B. THE APPEALS ...................................................................................................................................2 II. STANDARDS OF APPELLATE REVIEW...............................................................................3 III. APPEAL OF NZABONIMANA ................................................................................................5 A. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO NZABONIMANA ’S RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL (G ROUND 1)...............5 B. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ALIBI (G ROUND 2, IN PART ) .................7 C. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO THE CYAYI CENTRE AND THE NYABIKENKE COMMUNE OFFICE (G ROUND 2, IN PART , AND GROUND 3)..................................................................................................9 1. Notice.....................................................................................................................................10 2. Assessment of Evidence ........................................................................................................13 3. Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide...............................................................41 4. Instigation of Genocide and Extermination as a Crime Against Humanity...........................48 5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................56 D. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO THE BUTARE TRADING CENTRE (G ROUND 4 AND GROUND 5, IN PART ) ..................................................................................................................................................57 1. Notice.....................................................................................................................................57 2. Assessment of Evidence ........................................................................................................60 3. Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide...............................................................79 4. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................83 E. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO MURAMBI (G ROUND 5, IN PART ).................................................84 1. Notice.....................................................................................................................................84 2. Assessment of Evidence ........................................................................................................94 3. Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide.............................................................129 4. Conspiracy to Commit Genocide.........................................................................................132 5. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................142 F. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO NYAMABUYE (G ROUND 6) ........................................................143 G. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO TAMBWE (G ROUND 7) ..............................................................145 1. Notice...................................................................................................................................145 2. Conspiracy to Commit Genocide.........................................................................................149 3. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................153 H. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO SENTENCING (G ROUND 8) ........................................................154 1. Preliminary Matters .............................................................................................................155 2. Alleged Double-Counting Between Aggravating Circumstances and Elements of the Crime.................................................................................................................................156 IV. APPEAL OF THE PROSECUTION.....................................................................................158 A. ALLEGED ERROR RELATING TO NZABONIMANA ’S CONVICTION FOR INSTIGATING GENOCIDE AND EXTERMINATION IN NYABIKENKE COMMUNE OFFICE (G ROUND 1)...........................................158 1. Committing ..........................................................................................................................159 2. Ordering ...............................................................................................................................162 3. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................163 B. ALLEGED ERRORS RELATING TO THE RELEASE OF PRISONERS IN RUTOBWE COMMUNE (G ROUND 2)......................................................................................................................................164 V. IMPACT OF THE APPEALS CHAMBER’S FINDINGS ON NZABONIMANA’S SENTENCE .............................................................................................................................168 i Case No.: ICTR-98-44D-A 29 September 2014 VI. DISPOSITION.........................................................................................................................169 VII. SEPARATE OPINION OF JUDGE KOFFI KUMELIO A. AFAN\E............................171 VIII. ANNEX A – PROCEDURAL HISTORY..........................................................................173 A. NOTICES OF APPEAL AND BRIEFS .................................................................................................173 1. Nzabonimana’s Appeal........................................................................................................173 2. Prosecution’s Appeal ...........................................................................................................174 3. Other issues..........................................................................................................................174 B. ASSIGNMENT OF JUDGES ..............................................................................................................175 C. APPEAL HEARING .........................................................................................................................175 IX. ANNEX B – CITED MATERIALS AND DEFINED TERMS ...........................................176 A. JURISPRUDENCE ...........................................................................................................................176 1. Tribunal................................................................................................................................176 2. International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)...................................181 3. Other Judgements and Documents.......................................................................................182 B. DEFINED TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .........................................................................................183 ii Case No.: ICTR-98-44D-A 29 September 2014 1. The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide and Other Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and Other Such Violations Committed in the Territory of Neighbouring States between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994 (“Appeals Chamber” and “Tribunal”, respectively) is seised of appeals by Callixte Nzabonimana (“Nzabonimana”) and the Prosecution against the Judgement and Sentence pronounced by Trial Chamber III of the Tribunal (“Trial Chamber”) on 31 May 2012 in the case of The Prosecutor v . Callixte Nzabonimana (“Trial Judgement”). 1 I. INTRODUCTION A. Background 2. Nzabonimana was born in 1953 in Kavumu secteur , Nyabikenke commune , Gitarama préfecture .2 From 8 April 1994 to mid-July 1994, he was the Rwandan Minister of Youth and Associative Movements and served as the Chairman of the Mouvement républicain national pour la démocratie et le développement (“MRND”) party in Gitarama préfecture during the events. 3 3. The Trial Chamber convicted Nzabonimana pursuant to Article 6(1) of the Statute of the Tribunal (“Statute”)
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