Testimony at Rwandan genocide trial a duty to victims, general says

Oct 3, 2007, 23:54 GMT

Montreal ­ Testifying at a landmark genocide and war crimes trial in Canada is an act of duty towards the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the general who commanded a botched United Nations peacekeeping operation that failed to stop the massacres said Wednesday.

'No matter the personal impact, it's an act of duty,' said retired General Romeo Dallaire, 61, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing the bloodbath in Rwanda. 'I consider it my duty as a citizen of Canada and the world. I want to make sure that Rwanda and its genocide are never forgotten.'

The testimony came in the trial of Desire Munyaneza, 40, who is charged under Canadian law with two counts of genocide, two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes for his role in the 100 days of violence in which more than 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, died.

Munyaneza has pleaded not-guilty to all charges.

The son of a wealthy Hutu businessman, Munyaneza fled to Canada in 1996 but was denied refugee status. He remained in Toronto until he was arrested in October 2005 after being recognized by members of the local Rwandan community who reported him to police.

The landmark case in Canada is the first prosecution under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, established in 2000 to domestically try alleged war criminals.

If convicted, the father of two could face life in a Canadian prison.

Dallaire and Munyaneza had never met. Dallaire, who is now a Liberal member of the Canadian Senate, was called to testify as an expert on the Rwandan genocide.

Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, defence lawyer Laurence Cohen said the relevance of Dallaire's testimony to Munyaneza was limited.

'We're not questioning the hundreds of thousands of deaths, but we're talking about legal definitions in this first test case of this type in this country. Legal distinctions are important.'

During his testimony on Tuesday, Dallaire had trouble remembering a couple of names as he painted a vivid picture of the genocide. On Wednesday Cohen began the cross-examination by questioning Dallaire's memory. He wondered whether the trauma might have affected his memory.

'On the contrary,' Dallaire said at Quebec Superior Court. 'Post- traumatic stress disorder hard-wires events in your brain to the extent they will come back in digitally clear detail to your brain. You don't actually remember them. You relive them.'

Dallaire's testimony is expected to wrap-up Thursday.