The UN’s Residual Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (RMICT) Monday ruled that Felicien Kabuga is medically fit to stand trial. Kabuga is charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempt to commit genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide for his role in the genocide against the Tutsi.
Kabuga allegedly funded the Akazu, the ruling group responsible for planning and enacting violence against the Tutsi ethnic group.
Kabuga is 87 and has been in skilled nursing on and off during his time at The Hague. Kabuga’s defense filed a motion, claiming that Kabuga was incompetent to stand trial due to his illness and age.
The court rejected the defense’s argument but left room for a change in his condition, saying, “Kabuga shall be subject to periodic monitoring by a panel of three independent medical experts who shall submit a joint report on Kabuga’s fitness for trial to the Trial Chamber every 180 days from the filing of this decision unless otherwise decided.”
