Rwanda : Bernard Ntangada case postponed

The supreme court of Rwanda, this Monday march 5, postponed the ruling on the verdict of PS Imberakuri party vice chairman, Bernard Ntangada, till April 30

Ntaganda is charged with insinuating violence and promoting divisionism and genocide ideology, of which the High court handed him a four year jail sentence. Some of the Ntaganda’s public statements included “Tura tugabane niwanga tubimene”, literally meaning Lets sit and share or else we destroy everything’”

These statements according prosecution, represented by Alain Mukuralinda, were loosely referring to the Ruling party Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) sharing power with his PS Imberakuri, and also inclined to raise divisions between the Rwandans on ethnic backgrounds and inducing ant- government sentiments among Rwandans.

The court had also found him guilty of sensitising the population to rebel against government programmes, and attempted public demonstrations without legal authorization.

This was his second appearance, and Ntaganda appealed against that court ruling in which he was sentenced to four year in jail in January this year.

Ntaganda’s appeal hit a dead end when the court asked him to put it in writing and submit it to the Supreme Court.  However, Justice Immaculée Nyirinkwaya, who presided over this hearing announced that the court has decided that the ruling be heard on April 20,” announced Nyirikwaya, said after receiving the submissions.

Bernard Ntaganda has been behind bars since June 2010.