Felicien Kabuga, the alleged financier of the horrific Rwandan genocide pleaded not guilty in a United Nations court. He was produced in the court after being on the run for a quarter of the century. Formerly one of Rwanda's richest men, Kabuga allegedly helped set up hate media that urged ethnic Hutus to "kill the Tutsi cockroaches". He also funded militia groups.

Kabuga, now in his 80s, was arrested in France in May. He was then transferred to the court in The Hague in October. He faces charges of a key role in killing of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.&nbsp;

The frail Kabuga sat in a wheelchair behind a glass screen in the courtroom, wearing a coronavirus mask. A court official helped him adjust his headphones. His defence lawyer Emmanuel Altit said Kabuga was "very tired" and "preferred not to speak", when asked by judge Iain Bonomy if the former businessman wanted to enter a plea.&nbsp;

"Given the situation, I would be grateful if you could consider this lack of response as a plea of not guilty on all the counts, under the rules and procedures," Altit told the court.

Kabuga, who until his arrest near Paris was one of the world's most wanted men, had already denied the charges in his court appearances in France.

The Rwandan faces seven counts including genocide, incitement to genocide, extermination and persecution.

The UN court will later decide if he will be transferred to its branch in Tanzania for trial.

Contributed to deaths

The UN says 800,000 people were murdered in a 100-day rampage that began in April 1994 in Rwanda, in scenes of horror that shocked the world.

Kabuga was then an ally of the ruling party in Rwanda. He allegedly helped create the Interahamwe Hutu militia group and the Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), whose broadcasts incited people to murder.

The indictment, read by court official said, "RTLM broadcasts contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of persons identified as Tutsi civilians."

The radio station also identified the hiding places of Tutsis where they were later killed, it said.&nbsp;

He is also accused of helping to buy machetes that were distributed to genocidal groups, and ordering them to kill Tutsis. Kabuga spent years on the run using a succession of false passports, with investigators saying that he had been helped by a network of former Rwandan allies to evade justice.&nbsp;

Following his arrest in a small apartment near Paris, his lawyers argued that Kabuga -- who says he is aged 87 but according to the arrest warrant is 84 -- should face trial in France for health reasons. But France's top court ruled he should be moved to UN custody on a warrant issued in 1997 by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Kabuga was initially to be transferred to the UN court's facility in Arusha, Tanzania, which took over the ICTR's duties when it formally closed in 2015.

But a UN judge ruled he should first be taken to the court's Hague branch for a medical examination, and it was not immediately known when or if Kabuga might be transferred to Arusha.

(With AFP inputs)

Felicien Kabuga, the alleged financier of the horrific Rwandan genocide pleaded not guilty in a United Nations court. He was produced in the court after being on the run for a quarter of the century.

Felicien Kabuga, the alleged financier of the horrific Rwandan genocide pleaded not guilty in a United Nations court. He was produced in the court after being on the run for a quarter of the century. Formerly one of Rwanda's richest men, Kabuga allegedly helped set up hate media that urged ethnic Hutus to "kill the Tutsi cockroaches". He also funded militia groups. Kabuga, now in his 80s, was arrested in France in May. He was then transferred to the court in The Hague in October. He faces charges of a key role in killing of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The frail Kabuga sat in a wheelchair behind a glass screen in the courtroom, wearing a coronavirus mask. A court official helped him adjust his headphones. His defence lawyer Emmanuel Altit said Kabuga was "very tired" and "preferred not to speak", when asked by judge Iain Bonomy if the former businessman wanted to enter a plea. "Given the situation, I would be grateful if you could consider this lack of response as a plea of not guilty on all the counts, under the rules and procedures," Altit told the court. Kabuga, who until his arrest near Paris was one of the world's most wanted men, had already denied the charges in his court appearances in France. The Rwandan faces seven counts including genocide, incitement to genocide, extermination and persecution. The UN court will later decide if he will be transferred to its branch in Tanzania for trial. Contributed to deaths The UN says 800,000 people were murdered in a 100-day rampage that began in April 1994 in Rwanda, in scenes of horror that shocked the world. Kabuga was then an ally of the ruling party in Rwanda. He allegedly helped create the Interahamwe Hutu militia group and the Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), whose broadcasts incited people to murder. The indictment, read by court official said, "RTLM broadcasts contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of persons identified as Tutsi civilians." The radio station also identified the hiding places of Tutsis where they were later killed, it said. He is also accused of helping to buy machetes that were distributed to genocidal groups, and ordering them to kill Tutsis. Kabuga spent years on the run using a succession of false passports, with investigators saying that he had been helped by a network of former Rwandan allies to evade justice. Following his arrest in a small apartment near Paris, his lawyers argued that Kabuga -- who says he is aged 87 but according to the arrest warrant is 84 -- should face trial in France for health reasons. But France's top court ruled he should be moved to UN custody on a warrant issued in 1997 by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Kabuga was initially to be transferred to the UN court's facility in Arusha, Tanzania, which took over the ICTR's duties when it formally closed in 2015. But a UN judge ruled he should first be taken to the court's Hague branch for a medical examination, and it was not immediately known when or if Kabuga might be transferred to Arusha. (With AFP inputs)

Rwandan genocide 'financier' pleads not guilty before UN

Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga, who is accused of funding militias that massacred about 800,000 people, was arrested on Saturday near Paris after 26 years on the run, the French justice ministry said.

The 84-year-old, who is&nbsp;Rwanda's most-wanted man and had a $5 million US&nbsp;bounty on his head, was living under a false identity in a flat in Asnieres-Sur-Seine, according to the ministry.

French gendarmes arrested him at 0530 GMT on Saturday, the ministry said.

Kabuga was indicted in 1997 on seven criminal counts including genocide, complicity in genocide and incitement to commit genocide, all in relation to the 1994&nbsp;Rwanda&nbsp;genocide, according to the UN-established International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).

Rwanda's two main ethnic groups are the Hutus and Tutsis, who have historically had an antagonistic relationship and fought a civil war in the early 1990s.

A Hutu businessman, Kabuga is accused of funding the militias that massacred some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus over a span of 100 days in 1994.

"Since 1994, Felicien Kabuga, known to have been the financier of&nbsp;Rwanda&nbsp;genocide, had with impunity stayed in Germany, Belgium, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, or Switzerland,"

the statement said.

The arrest paves the way for bringing the fugitive in front of the Paris Appeal Court and later to the international court in The Hague, it added.

Two other&nbsp;Rwandan genocide suspects, Augustin Bizimana and Protais Mpiranya, are still being pursued by international justice.

"The arrest of Félicien Kabuga today is a reminder that those responsible for genocide can be brought to account, even twenty-six years after their crimes," IRMCT's Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in a statement immediately after the arrest.

He added the arrest was the result of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in France and other countries including the US,&nbsp;Rwanda, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and others.

Kabuga was responsible for making purchases of large quantities of machetes, hoes, and other agricultural implements in the knowledge that they would be used as weapons of murder during the genocide, according to a UN news website.

Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga, who is accused of funding militias that massacred about 800,000 people, was arrested on Saturday near Paris after 26 years on the run, the French justice ministry said.

Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga, who is accused of funding militias that massacred about 800,000 people, was arrested on Saturday near Paris after 26 years on the run, the French justice ministry said. The 84-year-old, who is Rwanda's most-wanted man and had a $5 million US bounty on his head, was living under a false identity in a flat in Asnieres-Sur-Seine, according to the ministry. French gendarmes arrested him at 0530 GMT on Saturday, the ministry said. Kabuga was indicted in 1997 on seven criminal counts including genocide, complicity in genocide and incitement to commit genocide, all in relation to the 1994 Rwanda genocide, according to the UN-established International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). Rwanda's two main ethnic groups are the Hutus and Tutsis, who have historically had an antagonistic relationship and fought a civil war in the early 1990s. A Hutu businessman, Kabuga is accused of funding the militias that massacred some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus over a span of 100 days in 1994. "Since 1994, Felicien Kabuga, known to have been the financier of Rwanda genocide, had with impunity stayed in Germany, Belgium, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, or Switzerland," the statement said. The arrest paves the way for bringing the fugitive in front of the Paris Appeal Court and later to the international court in The Hague, it added. Two other Rwandan genocide suspects, Augustin Bizimana and Protais Mpiranya, are still being pursued by international justice. "The arrest of Félicien Kabuga today is a reminder that those responsible for genocide can be brought to account, even twenty-six years after their crimes," IRMCT's Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in a statement immediately after the arrest. He added the arrest was the result of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in France and other countries including the US, Rwanda, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and others. Kabuga was responsible for making purchases of large quantities of machetes, hoes, and other agricultural implements in the knowledge that they would be used as weapons of murder during the genocide, according to a UN news website.

Rwanda genocide suspect Kabuga arrested by French police

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Rwandan genocide 'financier' pleads not guilty before UN

Rwanda genocide suspect Kabuga arrested by French police