Several survivors of genocide in Rwanda nearly 20 years ago have been sitting in an Oslo courtroom this week, following the trial of a man suspected of playing a key role in some of the massacres. He emigrated to Norway several years ago.
The defendant maintains he’s innocent and has testified that he instead was forced to observe some of the murders. He’s now 47 years old and has been living in Bergen with a wife and children.
“It’s about time Norway does something about this, so the country doesn’t become a safe haven for people who have taken part in genocide,” one woman from Rwanda who lost two sisters in the 1994 killing sprees told newspaper Aftenposten. Around 10 others, including a surviving sister, are following the case closely.
The defendant plead not guilty when proceedings began and claimed that he actually helped save lives. He already has been convicted by a court in Rwanda, without him being present at that trial. His trial in Norway is expected to last for three months.
newsinenglish.no staff
