The High Council Chamber of Rwanda has postponed the trial of Vincent Murekezi, who is accused of crimes related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, after he requested more time to find a new lawyer. His former defense attorney withdrew from the case without informing him.
The hearing took place this Thursday via video conference from Mageragere Prison in Kigali. Murekezi told the court that he has been facing difficulties contacting his family abroad, who could help him find another legal representative. He insisted that he could not proceed without legal assistance.
The court agreed to facilitate his communication with his family as much as possible and postponed the trial until September to allow him time to prepare and hire a new lawyer.
Murekezi was extradited from Malawi to Rwanda in 2019 to stand trial for alleged crimes committed during the Genocide in the former Butare town, now part of Huye District.
He had previously appealed a life sentence handed down in absentia by the Intermediate Court of Huye, which found him guilty of participating in the Genocide. Murekezi denies all charges.
The gacaca court of Butare, his hometown, and the Huye Intermediate Court had both found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment for his direct role in killings during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Murekezi, 62, was reportedly a prominent businessman in Malawi. His extradition followed an agreement between Rwanda and Malawi on the transfer of suspects.
Rwandan authorities say he was sent back to complete a four-year prison sentence he had begun in Malawi for corruption, with two years remaining, while simultaneously being wanted in Rwanda for genocide charges.
Prosecutors allege that Murekezi was among the leading figures in organizing killings in Butare during the Genocide, giving orders at various roadblocks where many Tutsi victims were slain.
