Arusha, March 8, 2005 (FH) - The thirteenth witness in defence of the former Rwandan minister of Family and Women Affairs, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, denied that road blocks mounted across Butare prefecture (South Rwanda) during the 1994 massacres were meant to check ethnicity of the citizens.

Nyiramasuhuko is on trial for genocide, with five other persons from her native prefecture of Butare at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

“In all the road blocks, the issue of ethnicity never arose,” the witness, known as WKNNC1 to protect his identity, told Trial Chamber Two.

The witness was responding to the President of the Chamber, Judge William Hussein Sekule of Tanzania. The Judge asked if such an issue was never raised as he was going back home from Butare town to his native Gikongoro prefecture in April 1994.

The prosecution holds that during the massacres, road blocks were mounted throughout the country by Rwandan armed forces and the Interahamwe militia to net Tutsis and moderate Hutus who were the target of the massacres.

WKNNC1 elaborated that when one came across a road block soldiers would take your identity card and check if the picture corresponded with the actual face of the owner, cross check the region where you came from and where you were heading for.

Earlier during the examination in chief by Nicole Bergevin, Canadian lead counsel for the accused Nyiramasuhuko, the witness denied that he heard the accused ordering abductions and rapes of Tutsi women in Butare.

Last week another defence witness who preceded this witness, code-named WKNKI, gave a similar denial when asked about the orders.

WKNC1 said that he was in Butare town between April 16 and 26, 1994 but denied seeing Nyiramasuhuko and her son and co-accused, Arsene Shalom Ntahobali.

The trial continues Wednesday.

Other defendants in this trial are two former prefects of Butare, Sylvain Nsabimana and Alphonse Nteziryayo and two former mayors, Joseph Kanyabashi and Elie Ndayambaje.

They all pleaded not guilty on all charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The trial commenced on June 12, 2001.

The case is before Trial Chamber Two presided over by Judge William Hussein Sekule (Tanzania) . He is assisted by Judge Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar) and Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda.

NI/GF/FH (BT’’’0308e)