Simon Bikindi

Simon Bikindi (born 28 September 1954) is a Rwandan singer-songwriter who was formerly very popular in Rwanda. His patriotic songs were playlist staples on the national radio station Radio Rwanda during the war from october 1990 to july 1994 before the Rwandan Patriotic Front took power.

Background and role during the genocide

Bkindi, an ethnic Hutu, was born in Rwerere in the northwestern prefecture of Gisenyi, the same region from which President Habyarimana and many of the key figures in his MRND regime originated.

At the time of the genocide, he was a "well-known composer and singer of popular music and director of the performance group "Irindiro Ballet"." He was additionally a civil servant of the Ministry of Youth and Sport and a member of the MRND party.

In the months prior to the genocide, Bikindi allegedly “consulted with President Juvénal Habyarimana, Minister of Youth and Sports Callixte Nzabonimana and MRND-aligned military authorities on song lyrics” before releasing them to be played on the Hutu Power radio station RTLM. ref|hirondelle

During the 100 days of genocide from 7 April to 14 July 1994, Bikindi is alleged to have participated personally in the killings, both in Kigali and Gisenyi prefecture, and helped to recruit and organize "Interahamwe" militias. ref|ictr-indictment

After the genocide

Bikindi is currently under indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). He has been charged with the following: conspiracy to commit genocide; genocide, or alternatively complicity in genocide; direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and murder and persecution, as crimes against humanity.ref|ictr-indictment

Following his arrest in Leiden, Netherlands on 12 July 2001, Bikindi fought extradition and requested asylum. However, eight months later, on 27 March 2002, he was placed in the custody of the ICTR. He has since entered a plea of not guilty to all the charges against him and is presently imprisoned at the United Nations Detention Facility (UNDF) in Arusha, Tanzania. After a series of delays, his war crimes trial is set to begin on 15 May 2006. He is represented by the chairman of the Kenyan section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Wilfred Ngunjiri Nderitu.

The prosecution team in Bikindi's trial has asked for a life sentence, the most severe punishment the court gives [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200805270616.html allAfrica.com: Rwanda: ICTR Prosecution Seeks Life Sentence for Musician (Page 1 of 1) ] ]

References

* [http://65.18.216.88/ENGLISH/cases/Bikindi/ Indictment against Bikindi] , from the ICTR, last amended 15 June 2005
* [http://www.trial-ch.org/trialwatch/profiles/en/facts/p221.html Trial Watch: Simon Bikindi]
* [http://www.hirondelle.org/hirondelle.nsf/caefd9edd48f5826c12564cf004f793d/4fc571f5e3e9dd55c1256a8a00006e75?OpenDocument Musician again pleads not guilty to genocide] , "Hirondelle.org", March 8, 2003