Assalamu aleikum.

"Watch out so that the wall does not fall on you,"
witness CNJ quoted Father Seromba as saying to the
driver of the bulldozer as he started demolishing the
church and crushing refugees to death.

-

Last Prosecution Witness Testifies Against Father
Seromba
Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne)
January 24, 2005 
Posted to the web January 25, 2005 
http://allafrica.com/stories/200501250065.html

Arusha 

A self-confessed killer and last prosecution witness
in the genocide case against the former Catholic
Priest of Nyange parish (Western Rwanda), Father
Athanase Seromba, told the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Monday that the accused was
watching as the church was being demolished and Tutsis
inside it killed during the 1994 massacres.

The witness code-named CNJ to protect his identity
said he and his companions were asked by Father
Seromba on the 15 of April, to remove the dead bodies
from the parish secretariat and the following day he
would observe how the "job"(killing) was being done.

He was responding to Alfred Pognon of Benin, lead
counsel for the defence who wanted to know if Father
Seromba gave the attackers any order to kill the
Tutsis hosted in the church.

"Though he did not issue any order, we could see that
he was cooperating with us fully during the killing
that took place at the church on the 15th and 16th of
April," the witness alleged.

Earlier, during examination in-chief, CNJ said he was
in a group of eight people who went to the church to
join other Hutus to kill Tutsis. "I had a club and a
sword at my belt," he explained.

He elaborated further that about 4,000 Hutus attacked
the Tutsis using stones, grenades, traditional weapons
and a bulldozer killing about 2,000 of them.

"Watch out so that the wall does not fall on you,"
witness CNJ quoted Father Seromba as saying to the
driver of the bulldozer as he started demolishing the
church and crushing refugees to death.

He said as the driver was demolishing one wall after
another, he, along with others, went in finishing off
those who were still alive. All those acts, he said,
were done with the blessing of the communal
authorities and Father Seromba.

He further explained that they collected the dead
bodies and dumped them into the pit dug by another
bulldozer within the church compound.

During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, many Tutsis sought
sanctuary in places like churches, but they were
targeted and killed. The Rwandan government estimates
that one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were
exterminated throughout Rwanda in the genocide.
 
The Prosecution began their case on September 20,
2004. 41-year old Father Seromba gave himself up to
the ICTR in February 2002. He is accused of genocide
and crimes against humanity and has pleaded not
guilty.

This trial which is presided over by Judge Andresia
Vaz of Senegal continues on Tuesday.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200501250065.html


                
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