The trial of two alleged Rwandan genocide perpetrators resumed in Brussels, with one of them, a 76-year-old man, unable to attend due to illness, requiring an additional two weeks of hospitalization.
His lawyer is representing him during the trial. This marks the sixth assize trial in Belgium related to the Rwandan Tutsi genocide of 1994.
Pierre Basabosé, aged 76, and Séraphin Twahirwa, aged 65, both close to the former presidential couple Habyarimana, now residing in Belgium, face charges of “war crimes” and “genocide.” The trial is expected to run until early December.
Pierre Basabosé’s absence from the trial is due to his deteriorating health, marked by “dementia disorders,” partial amnesia, and other neuropsychiatric issues. He will require at least another two weeks of hospital care. His lawyer will represent him during this time.
Séraphin Twahirwa is accused of leading a Hutu extremist militia responsible for numerous murders and rapes of Tutsi women in Kigali during the genocide.
Pierre Basabosé, a former soldier turned businessman, is charged with supplying money and weapons to Twahirwa’s men. He was also a shareholder in Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, known for broadcasting incitements to kill Tutsis during the genocide.
The Rwandan Tutsi genocide of 1994 resulted in the deaths of at least 800,000 people, primarily Tutsis and some moderate Hutus, according to the UN.