Kigali, December 2nd, 2004 (FH) - The first trials in Rwanda’s semi-traditional genocide courts will begin January 2005, a senior official in the National Service for Gacaca Jurisdictions (NSGJ) told Hirondelle News Agency on Thursday.

“We should see the first trials in January”, said the director of Judicial services in NSGJ.

“The training of judges that has been going on is almost complete now”.

Gacaca courts, a blend of traditional Rwandan justice and conventional courts were set up three years ago to speed up the trials of thousands of people suspected of participating in the 1994 genocide.

For the last year, 700 of the estimated 10,000 courts have been carrying out pre-trial sessions. The sessions mainly identify victims and suspects.

Trials are set to begin in the 700 courts while the remaining courts will begin with the pre-trial phase.

There are over 80,000 genocide suspects detained in Rwanda’s jails awaiting trial. More than 90 per cent of these will be tried by Gacaca courts. The rest, falling under the highest category of genocide suspects, will be handled by regular courts.

According to estimates from the pre-trial phase, when Gacaca trials open nationwide and testimonies begin to come in, the number of genocide suspects will rise to about half a million.

Since the post-genocide re-opening of regular courts in Rwanda, cases involving some 8,000 suspects have been completed. At that rate, observers project it would take at least 200 years to complete all genocide cases.

GG/GF/FH (GA’''1202e)