The floor was this Tuesday, June 27 to the defense in the trial of Philippe Manier. The day before, the prosecution had requested life imprisonment against this former chief warrant officer of the gendarmerie of Nyanza, in the prefecture of Butare, in the south of Rwanda, prosecuted for genocide, crimes against humanity and association of criminals with a view to committing these crimes for his presumed involvement in several massacres at the end of April 1994. For more than 5 years, Philippe Manier has maintained his innocence, asserting in particular that he had left Nyanza at the time of the events. In a four-way argument, his lawyers urged the court to acquit him of all the charges against him. The verdict is expected on Wednesday.
Hearing report, Laura Martel
” We could have stuck with “he wasn’t there”, but we answered the accusation to show the contradictions, the lies, everything that is problematic “explains Me Guedj. If the charge is “ based on sand » and presents « gaping gaps ” castigates Me Altit, it is that in such a file, ” the backbone is the testimonies ” and the ” central subject, their credibility “, he recalls. Gold, ” one has the impression of having a hundred witnesses who witnessed everything and yet, in the case of the Nyamure massacre for example, out of 18 people interviewed, 4 have never heard of the accused, 10 are hearsay and 4 are genocidaires whose testimonies are full of inconsistencies! “, adds Me Lhote.
Beyond the criticisms of the stories of the survivors ” implausible ” And ” contradictory According to these lawyers, it is in fact above all the testimonies of prisoners detained for genocide in Rwanda… often the most damning for Philippe Manier… that the defense calls into question.
” Is it possible to judge without speaking about the false witnesses or the conditions of hearing of the prisoners in a dictatorship where the prisoners have no rights ? “, protests Me Altit. For him, Philippe Manier is the ” scapegoat of a political game between Paris and Kigali. But “ the guilt complex of France for its role in the genocide does not make it possible to designate culprits who are not “, insists Me Guedj. This folder is a so ” ocean of doubt “, gold ” the doubt must benefit the accused “, insists the lawyer, ” it is a categorical imperative, it is not a choice! »
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