France court denies Rwandan genocide suspect’s request for release on bail News
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France court denies Rwandan genocide suspect’s request for release on bail

The Paris Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied Felicien Kabuga’s request to be released on bail pending his trial for his alleged involvement in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda.

Kabuga is accused of financing and arming the Interahamwe militia, the militia responsible for the massacre of approximately 800,000 members of the Rwandan Tutsi tribe in 1994.

Kabuga, who was arrested on May 16 near Paris after 26 years on the run, requested to be released on bail on Wednesday, arguing that there is no risk that he will flee due to his old age and poor health. The court, however, denied his request for release.

He also maintained his innocence during the hearing and requested that his trial take place in the French courts rather than at the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague.

The court will reconvene on June 3 to decide whether Kabuga’s case will be transferred to the Mechanism.

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