DATE=9/13/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=RWANDA BISHOP
NUMBER=5-44246
BYLINE=TODD PITMAN
DATELINE=KIGALI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A Roman Catholic bishop accused of genocide
and crimes against humanity goes on trial Tuesday in
the Central African nation of Rwanda. As Todd Pitman
reports from Kigali, the trial will examine the
bishop's alleged role in the mass slaughter of an
estimated 800-thousand Tutsis and moderate Hutus
during the country's 1994 genocide.
TEXT: Bishop Augustin Misago stands accused of
sending 30-school-children to their death at the hands
of machete-wielding militiamen, of refusing shelter to
hundreds of Tutsi civilians, and crucially, of
participating in high-level meetings that organized
mass killings.
/// PRISON NOISE, ESTABLISH, AND UNDER ///
Behind the high brick walls of Kigali's overcrowded
Central Prison, Bishop Misago is detained along with
seven-thousand other genocide suspects. Dressed in a
pink uniform and clutching a silver crucifix between
his hands, the bishop is quick to deny the charges
against him.
/// MISAGO ACT IN FRENCH - ESTABLISH AND
FADE ///
Bishop Misago says that through his trial, the
government is attempting to try the Catholic Church.
The Bishop says he is the victim of a political
campaign spurred on by senior officials in the
government.
But judicial authorities say the evidence -- mostly
testimony from survivors as well as nuns and priests
from the bishop's own diocese -- is overwhelming.
Emmanuel Rukangira is Kigali's public prosecutor.
/// RUKANGIRA ACT IN FRENCH -- ESTABLISH AND FADE ///
Mr. Rukangira says Bishop Misago's case is classified
in the first category, the most serious. The bishop,
he says, is among those who planned and organized the
genocide, a high crime that can carry with it the
death penalty.
The events have deeply strained Rwanda's relations
with the Vatican, which has sharply criticized Bishop
Misago's arrest and called repeatedly for his release.
Bishop Misago is not alone. Thirty members of the
clergy are held in Rwanda for their alleged role in
the genocide, and two priests have already been
sentenced to death.
The spotlight was first thrown on Bishop Misago during
a memorial service he attended in April to commemorate
the fifth-anniversary of the genocide. Survivors
speaking at ceremonies in the southern prefecture of
Gikongoro made open accusations against him.
President Pasteur Bizimungu said in a speech that his
case should be closely examined and the bishop -- was
not above the law.
Mr. Misago has questioned the spontaneity of (basis
for) the charges. He says his accusers can not even
agree on the number of children he allegedly sent to
death.
/// MISAGO ACT TWO IN FRENCH - ESTABLISH
AND FADE ///
Bishop Misago says his arrest is not the aim of a
normal judicial investigation, rather, it is a
political decision that has been forced into the
courts because the President has urged it on. Bishop
Misago says the judicial system is under pressure not
to find the truth, but to prove the President right.
In his defense, Bishop Misago says he's remained in
Rwanda since the genocide ended and never fled like so
many other prominent Hutus. In meetings where he is
alleged to have helped plan mass killings, the bishop
argues he instead urged the authorities in place to
cease the slaughter and halt the fighting.
/// MISAGO ACT THREE IN FRENCH - ESTABLISH
AND FADE ///
Bishop Misago says he could do little to stop the
killings. He says -- I did not have the means, I did
not have an army, I was like so many others, powerless
to stop it.
Hundreds-of-thousands of people died while seeking
sanctuary in Rwanda's churches during the genocide.
Although some priests valiantly risked their lives to
protect Tutsi civilians, other clergymen actively
collaborated with the murderers.
Whether or not Bishop Misago is guilty of crimes of
genocide is now a question for the courts to decide.
(SIGNED)
NEB/TP/GE/RAE
13-Sep-1999 14:08 PM LOC (13-Sep-1999 1808 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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