Citation
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA
TRIAL CHAMBER I11
Before:
Judge Lloyd George Williams, presiding
Judge Pave1 Dolenc
Judge Andr6sia Vaz
Registry:
Adama Dieng
Date:
24 February 2003
THE PROSECUTOR
v.
GRATIEN KABILIGI
Case No. ICTR-98-41-1
MOTION TO REQUEST FREE SITTING ARRANGEMENT FOR
ACCUSED PERSONS
Office of the Prosecutor:
Barbara Mulvaney
Drew White
Segun Jegede
Christine Graham
Rashid Rashid
Defence Counsel:
Jean Yaovi Degli
Sylvia Olympio
I Translation certified by LSS, ICTR
DIII03-0014 (E)
Case No. ICTR-98-41-1
Page 2
In the presence of:
Thboneste BAGOSORA
Raphael CONSTANT, Counsel
P. SKOLNIK, Counsel
Aloys NTABAKUZE
Andre TREMBLAY, Counsel
Anatole NSENGIYUMVA
Kennedy OGETTO, Counsel
Gershom BW'OMANWA OTACHI, Counsel
MAY IT PLEASE THE TRIAL CHAMBER
I.
Procedural and factual background
1.
It should first and foremost be recalled that:
-
Theoneste BAGOSORA was indicted on 10 August 1996 under Case
NO. ICTR-96-7-1;
-
Anatole NSENGIYUMVA was indicted on 12 July 1996 under Case
NO.ICTR-96- 12-1
-
Gratien KABILIGI and Aloys NTABAKUZE were indicted on
15 October 1997 under Case No. ICTR-97-34-1
2.
Further to a Prosecution motion filed on 31 July 1998, the former Trial
Chamber I1 rendered a decision on 29 June 2000 in favour of the joinder of the three
aforementioned cases;
As from that date, the four Accused persons, who had to comply with a new
3.
initial appearance procedure in pleading guilty or not guilty to counts in the new
indictments brought by the Prosecution, were all grouped together under a new case
number henceforth known as ICTR-98-41-I;
Case No. ICTR-98-41-1
Page 3
Whereas the trial was scheduled to start on 2 April 2002 and that on that date, the
4.
case was postponed to 2 September 2002 for the appearance of the first Prosecution
witnesses;
5.
Whereas before the trial started in September 2002, the Trial Chamber had, during
a status conference, asked that the Accused persons always sit in the same place at every
court hearing;
Whereas this measure seriously violates the rights of the Defence in general and
6.
those of the accused persons in particular, and, at any rate, those of General KABILIGI;
7.
Whereas Article 19 of the Tribunal's Statute provides that:
The Trial Chambers shall ensure that a trial is fair and expeditious and
"1.
that proceedings are conducted in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and
Evidence, with full respect for the rights of the accused and due regard for the
protection of victims and witnesses";
Article 20 of the Statute, which is a repetition of the provisions of Article 14 of
8.
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides:
All persons shall be equal before the International Criminal Tribunal for
"I.
Rwanda.
In the determination of charges against him or her, the accused shall be
2.
entitled to a fair and public hearing, subject to Article 21 of the Statute.
The accused shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to
3.
the provisions of the present Statute.
4.
In the determination of any charge against the accused pursuant to the
present Statute, the accused shall be entitled to the following minimum
guarantees, in full equality:
Not to be compelled to testify against himself or herself or to
(g)
confess guilt";
Whereas neither the Statute nor the Rules of Procedure and Evidence prescribe
9.
that accused persons shall sit in the same place at every court hearing;
Whereas in a procedure that is almost entirely based on witness testimonies and
10.
even often on hearsay, the identification of an accused person is tantamount to the
establishment of evidence;
Case No. ICTR-98-41-1
Page 4
Whereas the Prosecution often requests its witnesses to identify the accused
11.
persons in order to support its evidence;
Whereas in the Butare trial before Trial Chamber 11, a lady who alleged that she
12.
had been raped by an accused was, on several occasions, unable to identify the accused;
Whereas this clearly shows how testimonies are presented before the Trial
13.
Chamber by the Prosecution whose is interested in having its adversaries or "enemies"
detained in Arusha invariably convicted;
14.
Whereas the burden of proof falls on the Prosecution;
Whereas the Accused would neither be asked to testify against himself nor assist
15.
the Prosecution in doing so;
Whereas this is clearly shown in the provisions of Article 20(4)(g) of the
16.
Tribunal's Statute, which states that the accused shall not be "compelled to testlJjl against
himself or herself or to confess guilt";
Whereas, before counts of the various legal systems in the world, accused persons
17.
are not generally compelled to sit in the same place at every court hearing, especially
where the entire rule of evidence relies on testimonies;
Whereas no other Trial Chamber of ICTR or ICTY ever seems to have imposed
18.
such a rigid sitting arrangement on accused persons;
Whereas the request for and imposition of a specific sitting arrangement at every
19.
court hearing is tantamount to asking the accused persons to take part in the identification
procedure that the Prosecution will use in respect of most of its witnesses, which
procedure helps to establish evidence against the accused persons;
Whereas this must be interpreted as compelling the Accused to testify against
20.
himself or plead guilty, which is absolutely contrary to the letter of the aforementioned
Article 20(4)(g) of the Statute, in particular, and to the spirit of fair justice in general;
Whereas by compelling the accused persons to sit in the same place at each court
21.
hearing, the Prosecution is able to let its witnesses identify the accused persons by simply
telling them the order in which the accused persons are seated;
Whereas during Witness ZF's testimony before the Trial Chamber, such an
22.
impression seemed to emerge from the identification procedure of the accused persons by
the witness;
Whereas, indeed, on 28 November 2002, when the Prosecution asked Witness ZF
23.
to identify the Accused Kabiligi, the witness did so by simply going by the order in
which the accused persons were seated;
Case No. ICTR-98-41-1
Page 5
Whereas when the Prosecution asked the witness to identify the Accused
24.
otherwise, for instance by his dressing, the witness failed to do so but simply used the
sitting arrangement to identify the accused persons;
25.
Whereas the court transcript clearly shows the following:
'Q. Sir, can - do you see the person here in court that you've identified as
General Kabiligi?
A.
Yes, Counsel.
Q. Can you please identify him for the Court? Can you describe what he's
wearing and where he's sitting?
A.
Yes, Counsel.
R.
Please describe where he is sitting.
MR. PRESIDENT:
Can he do it sitting or does he need to stand?
You need to find out from him.
BY MS. MULVANEY:
Sir, can you see him from - the person you believe to be General Kabiligi
from where you're sitting?
Q.
A.
Yes, Counsel. Brigadier General Kabiligi is sitting to my lefi near Major
Ntabakuze.
Q.
Can you tell what colour shirt he's wearing, or suit?
A.
I cannot clearly see the colour of his suit. The shirt is white.
Q. And can you tell how many - where he's seated in relationship to the
aisle? And by "the aisle" I mean the walkway that ends with a curtain.
A.
Counsel, I have no doubt concerning all these persons. I know them very
well. I could tell you how they are all seated. First of all, you have Major
Ntabakuze, followed by Brigadier General Kabiligi, then you have Colonel
Anatole Nsengiyumva, and then Colonel The'oneste ~ a ~ o s o r a . " ~
' Transcript, 28 November 2002, pp 78-79, Trial Chamber III.
DIII03-00 14
Case No. ICTR-98-41-I
Page 6
Considering that there is no provision assigning a specific and rigid sitting arrangement
for accused persons at court hearings;
May it please the Tribunal,
To order that the accused persons in this trial shall henceforth freely take their seats in the
dock at every court hearing;
WITH ALL PROPER RESERVE
Done at Paris on 15 February 2003
For General Gratien KABILIGI
Jean Yaovi DEGLI, Lead Counsel (Signed)
Sylvia OLYMPIO, Co-Counsel
Attached: Copy of court transcript.
lnternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Tribunal PBnal lnternational pour le Rwanda
A ~ s h aInternational Conlerence Centre
PROOF OF SERVICE - ARUSHA
PREUVE DE NOTlFlCA TlON - ARUSHA
late:
Case Name /affaire:
The Prosecutor v.
Case No /no. de I'affaire:
ICTR-98-41-T
received by I r e p par:
To:
I:
Judge N. Pillay, President
Judge Msse, Vice President
Judge A. Vaz
E. Naharnya, Co-ordinator
0
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.......................
.
.......
..................................
..................................
.....................
.
.........
- THEONESTE BAGOSORA
- GRATIEN KABlLlGl
-ALOYSNTABAKUZE
- ANATOLE NSENGIYUMVA
ALO:
received by / rep par
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....................................
....................................
....................................
Judge W. H. Sekule
Judge W. C. M. Maqutu
Judge A. Rarnaroson
A. Lorey, Co-ordinator
.................................
Judge P. Dolenc
Judge A. Vaz (Trial Only)
M. Niang, Co-ordinator
................................................(smnature]
n b y fax complete/ mpIV"CMS3bis FORM.
-Counsel / ConseilAdjoint. SKOLNIK, OLYMPIO, TREMBLAY & BW'OMANWA
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0 Appeals Chamber Unit, The Hague
OSuzanne Chenault, Jurist Linguist
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MOTION TO RE UEST FREE SITTING ARRANGEMENT FOR ACCUSED
PERSONS
Date Filed I Date enregistrt!
Pages
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
PROOF OF SERVICE TO DETAINEES
PREUVE DE NOTIFICATION D'ACTES AUX DETENUS
pon signature of the detainee, please return this sheet t o the originator as proof of service.
Formuhire ir Stre renvoyP ir l'expndditeur diiment signndpar l e dndtenu.
Date:
14 March, 2003
Case Name /afFaire:
The Prosecutor v.
Case No /affaire no:
ICTR-98-41-T
- THEONESTE BAGOSORA
- GRATIEN KABILIGI
- ALOYS NTABAKUZE
- ANATOLE NSENGIYUMVA
TO BE FILLED IN BY THE DETAINEE
To:
A:
A COMPLETER PAR LE DETENU
me of detainee 1nom du detenu
Date, Time IHeure
I confirm reception of the
document(s) listed below.
Signature
Je confirme reception du/des
documents rnentionne(s) cidessous.
4z5-%733
KABlLlGl
Via:
Print w m e / nom
03
Date , Time IHeure
2ignature
rnmanding Officer, UNDF
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From:
De:
3 JP. Forn6t6 (Ch~ef.CMS)
3 F. Talon Ahouandogbo (App
Subject
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(ihdly find attached the following documents IVeuillez trouver en annexe les documents suivants.
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Documents n e / titre du document
MOTION T REQUEST FREE SITTING ARRANGEMENT FOR
ACCUSED ERSONS
Date Filed / Date enregistr6 Pages
13/03/2003
6
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Tribunal Penal International pour le Rwanda
Arusha InternationalConferenceCentre
anzania - B.P.6016 Awsha Tanzanie
u
PROOF OF SERVICE TO DETAINEES
PREUVE DE NOTIFICATION D'ACTES AUX DETENUS
pon signature of the detainee, please return this sheet t o the originator as proof of service.
Fonnulaire a &re renvoyP d l'exp6diteur di2rnent signnlpar le d h n u .
I
Date:
1 March, 2003
Case Name /affaire:
The Prosecutor v.
- THEONESTE BAGOSORA
- GRATIEN KABlLlGl
-ALOYSNTABAKUZE
-ANATOLE NSENGIYUMVA
Case No /affaire no:
To:
A:
N me of detainee Inom du detenu
NSENGIYUMVA
ICTR-98-41-T
TO BE FILLED IN B Y THE DETAINEE
A COMPLETER PAR LE DETENU
I confirm reception of the
document(s) listed below.
Je confine reception du
documents mentionne(s)
Via:
Print name / nom
C
Date , Time I Heure
Signature
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SAIDOU GUINDO
From:
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.....................
Cindly find attached the following documents IVeuillez trouver e n annexe les documents suivants.
ARRANGEMENT FOR
Date Filed I Date enregistre!
13/03/2003
Pages
6
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Tribunal Penal International pour le Rwanda
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Arusha International Conference Centre
P 0 Box 6016. Ar~snaTanzania 8 P 6016 Arbsna Tanzan~e
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PROOF OF SERVICE TO DETAINEES
PREUVE DE NOTIFICATION D'ACTES AUX DETENUS
m signature of the detainee, please return this sheet to the originator as proof of
Fonnulpire ri itre renvoyc! a l'exp6diteur diimenf signkpar le dPfenu.
Case Name /affaire:
The Prosecutor v.
S~MC~.
-- THEONESTE
BAGOSORA
GRATIEN KABlLlGl
-ALOYSNTABAKUZE
-ANATOLE NSENGIYUMVA
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BAGOSORA
I confirm reception of the
document($ listed below.
Signature
Date, Time IHeore
Je confirme rdception du/des
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SAIDOU GUINDO
From:
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ly find attached the following documents IVeuillez trouver en annexe les documents suivants.
te I titre du document
MOTION T REQUEST FREE SITTING ARRANGEMENT FOR
ACCUSED ERSONS
Date Filed 1 Date enregistrl
13/03/2003
Pages
6
lnternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Tribunal PBnal lnternational pour le Rwanda
Arusha lnternational ConferenceCentre
PROOF OF SERVICE TO DETAINEES
PREUVE DE NOTIFICATION D'ACTES AUX DETENUS
t'
Date:
pon signature of the detainee, please return this sheet to the originator as proof of service.
Formulaire 6 &re renvoyi 6 l'expiditeur diiment signipar le ditenu.
13 March, 2003
Case Name /affaire:
- THEONESTE BAGOSORA
The Prosecutor v.
-
GRATIEN KABILIGI
-ALOYSNTABAKUZE
ANATOLE NSENGIYUMVA
-
Case No /atfaire no:
TO BE FILLED IN BY THE DETAINEE
A COMPLETER PAR LE DETENU
To:
A:
ICTR-98-41-T
Name of detainee 1nom du detenu
I confirm reception of the
document(s) listed below.
~
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m
Date, Time 1 Heure
NTABAKUZE
Je confinne rkeptton dddes
documents mentionn&(s) cidessous.
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ARRANGEMENT FOR
Date Filed I Date enregistrl
13/03/2003
Pages
6
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INTlERNATI0NA.L ClUMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA
Befo:-e:
Judge Lloyd George Williams, presiding
Judge Pave1 Dolenc
Judgc Andr6sia Vaz
Rcgi try:
Adama Dieng
Date:
24 February 2003
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Case No. ICTR-9841-1
MOTION TO REQUEST FREE SITTING ARRANGEMENT FOR
ACCUSED PERSONS
