Arusha, September 5, 2005 (FH) - Former Rwandan minister of Family and Women Affairs, Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, who is testifying on her own behalf at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for the third day, disassociated herself with a hate speech made by her former political advisor, Leon Mugesera.

Mugesera, former political advisor for the then MRND ruling party, in the ministry led by Nyiramasuhuko, made a speech in which he was allegedly incited his fellow Hutus to slaughter Tutsi minority at a political rally in Gisenyi prefecture, North West Rwanda, on November 22, 1992.

“I did not even know if there was a political rally in Gisenyi. He did not tell me that,” Nyiramasuhuko told her lead counsel, Nicole Bergevin of Canada during her testimony.

She went on to explain that the staff members of her ministry were free to make political speeches and that she was bore no responsibility. She insisted “that has nothing to do with my ministry.”

“I did not hear about it and I did not listen to it,” the respondent told the chamber, although she admitted that one member of her MRND party told her about the speech, cautioning that it might tarnish the image of their party.

Mugesera, former lecturer at the Rwanda National University, fled for Canada after the speech and obtained permanent-resident status in 1993. He is still facing possible extradition to Rwanda following a Canadian Supreme Court order issued in June 2005.

Nyiramasuhuko also identified her controversial diary, presented before the chamber by one of the prosecution witnesses at an earlier stage during the trial. It was alleged that the diary, among other things, contains lists of victims during the massacres in April-July 1994.

She said the diary had three different sets of hand writing. But she said that most of the entries in the diary were made by herself.

Asked why she decided to make notes in her diary, she simply said, “I had memory gaps and I did that so that I could remember certain things.” She elaborated that she has the habit of writing or taking down notes even while in church when a priest was giving a sermon.

However, she said in most cases her notes lack dates and she had no specific reasons for that. “Something close by -- I would just write it anywhere to remember.” No further questions were posed by her lawyer on the diary.

The testimony continues on Tuesday.

Other accused in this case are Nyiramasuhuko’s son and alleged Interahamwe militia leader, Arsene Shalom Ntahobali, two former prefects of Butare, Sylvain Nsabimana and Alphonse Nteziryayo and two former mayors, Joseph Kanyabashi of Ngoma commune and that of Muganza, Elie Ndayambaje.

They have pleaded not guilty to genocide and crimes against humanity.

Nyiramasuhuko is the first accused in this trial to testify on her own behalf. Her defence case started on January 31, 2005. The trial itself commenced on June 12, 2001.

NI/AT