A military court in Kigali has set October 28 to deliver the decision regarding the provisional release or detention of 25 former fighters accused of acts of terrorism.
The suspects were arrested recently during military operations in Eastern DR Congo before being handed over to Rwanda.
They were charged on four counts, including belonging to an illegal armed outfit, treason, forming an illegal army, and plotting with foreign countries to destabilize Rwanda, a judicial source disclosed Thursday to APA in Kigali.
During the pre-trial hearing, prosecution said that all the suspects were facilitated mainly by Uganda and Burundi to join the ‘P5’ outfit whose activities are detailed in a report by the UN Group of Experts published in December last year.
P5 comprises the Amahoro People’s Congress (AMAHORO-PC), the Forces
Démocratiques Unifées-Inkingi (FDU INKINGI), the People’s Defence Pact-Imanzi (PDP-IMANZI), the Social Party-Imberakuri (PS IMBERAKURI) and the Rwanda National Congress (RNC).
The presiding judge of the military court in Kigali, Lt.Col Charles Madudu has set the date to decide on the provisional release or detention of all the suspects pending further investigations into the cases, news reports said.
The military prosecution in its arguments again sought the harshest punishment to the alleged offenders who were reportedly backed by Uganda and Burundi to join the ‘P5’ outfit.
Nyamwasa is a former head of the Rwandan military who was in 2011 sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison after he was convicted of multiple charges, including terrorism, genocide denial and crimes against humanity.
CU/as/APA