The Genocide trial of former Nyarutarama Gacaca court president, Thrones Mulihano, gets underway today. Nyarutarama is a Kigali city’s posh suburb.Mulihano, who was sacked from Nyarutarama Gacaca court in September after serving for four months as Gacaca head in the area, is accused of burying one Innocent Nkubana alive during the 1994 Genocide.He has appeared twice (October 24 and 27) and denied charges before the Gacaca court he used to chair.Nkubana is reported to have sustained serious injuries by Interahamwe militias before Mulihano reportedly buried him alive. The suspect admitted that Nkubana was buried alive but denies that did participate in the gruesome act. The prosecution has lined up a number of witnesses involving one François Nkurunziza, a Genocide convict who is serving 30 years in prison.Gacaca courts are charged with trying the majority of people accused of having played part in the 1994 Genocide, which claimed an estimated one million lives. The judges of these courts are presumed to be persons of integrity, and they are elected amongst the community.They have powers to sentence defendants up to life in prison. It is expected that Gacaca courts will conclude trials later this year, although officials have said that, there was room for extension in case the job was not accomplished within the year.Ends
