Misago - Awaiting Thursday's verdict

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WEEKLY NEWS - SPECIAL ISSUE of: 13-06-2000 

Re: Misago - Rwanda 
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Source:  "Agenzia Internazionale FIDES" 
Subject: RWANDA Awaiting Thursday's verdict Bishop Misago prays
===> (Version francais plus bas)

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RWANDA
Awaiting Thursday's verdict Bishop Misago prays
Kigali (Fides) - On Thursday, June 14, Kigali Court will issue its verdict
regarding Bishop Augustin Misago, Catholic Bishop of Gikongoro, arrested in
April 1999 for complicity in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. If found guilty,
the Bishop risks the death penalty.
Bishop Misago, Fides was told by one of the few people allowed to visit
him recently - "is awaiting the verdict with calm and in prayer. Today,
like every morning, he celebrated Mass in front of the tiny tabernacle set
up in his prison quarters, separated from the other eight thousand
penitentiary inmates only by a small curtain."
His state of health has improved slightly although his heart problem is
not helped by his state of detention. "In the last few days - the visitor
told Fides - the Bishop asked to receive less visitors so as to have more
time for prayer".
Evidence against Bishop Misago is non-existent, as the defence lawyer
pointed out in his final address: only indirect testimony and artificial
suppositions. One of the few direct testimonies was in his favour: Jerome
Rugema (today aged 20) whom the prosecutor said was one of a group of boys
murdered because the Bishop failed to protect them. Whereas the boy said he
owed his life to Bishop Misago's intervention. Another witness said he had
been threatened with violence if he spoke in the Bishop's defence.
On March 20, during the final hearing, the prosecution exhibited only
three documents, including a video-tape showing the Bishop talking with
journalists. The plaintiff produced nine documents including slanderous
newspaper articles about the bishop and the Church. Whereas the defense
produced eighteen documents which make it evident that Mgr Misago always
tried to prevent ethnic clashes. The papers include a declaration by
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace.
On Fides web site www.fides.org you will find reports on the trial, Bishop
Misago's defence and a picture of the Rwandan judiciary system, besides
various articles on the social-political situation in the country. 



----------
Version francaise
RWANDA Veille du verdict contre Mgr Misago, qui attend dans la priere
Kigali (Fides) - Le tribunal de Kigali emettra jeudi matin le verdict
contre Mgr Augustin Misago, l'evêque de Gikongoro arrête le 14 avril 1999,
accuse de complicite dans le genocide de 1994. Le prelat risque la peine de
mort en cas de condamnation.
Selon les declarations faites a l'agence Fides par une des rares personnes qui ont eu l'occasion de le visiter durant ces derniers jours, l'evêque "attend le jugement avec serenite et dans la priere. Aujourd'hui encore, comme tous les matins, il a celebre la messe devant le petit tabernacle de son lieu de detention, separe des autres 8 mille detenus de Kigali seulement par un mince rideau.
Sa condition physique s'est amelioree, même si la detention ne soulage pas ses problemes cardiaques. " Ces derniers jours, - a rapporte le visiteur a
Fides - , l'evêque a demande de recevoir moins de visites pour pouvoir se
consacrer plus assidûment a la priere ".
Les preuves a sa charge, comme l'a souligne la defense lors de la
plaidoirie finale, sont inconsistantes : il s'agit uniquement de
temoignages indirects et de suppositions artificieuses. Parmi les quelques
temoignages directs, par contre, on compte celui de Jerôme Rugema (âge
aujourd'hui de 20 ans) qui, selon l'accusation, devrait être mort, ainsi
que d'autres jeunes, a cause de l'evêque. Le jeune a affirme dans son
temoignage le 1er decembre 1999 devoir, au contraire, la vie a
l'intervention de l'evêque. Un autre temoin en faveur de l'evêque a declare
avoir recu des menaces visant a l'empêcher de temoigner pour la defense de
Mgr Misago.
Le 20 mars dernier, lors de la derniere audience, le ministere public a
presente seulement 3 documents, dont une videocassette qui ne fait que
montrer l'evêque en conversation avec des journalistes. La partie civile a
produit 9 documents, dont des articles de journaux qui diffament l'evêque
et l'Eglise. La defense, par contre, a presente 18 documents qui demontrent
que Mgr Misago a toujours lutte pour eviter les conflits ethniques. Parmi
ces documents, figure une declaration juree du Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.
Sur le site de l'agence Fides, www.fides.org, on peut trouver le recit du deroulement du proces, l'autodefense de Mgr Misago, un apercu du systeme
judiciaire rwandais, ainsi que des informations sur la realite
socio-politique du pays.

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