Ex-Rwandan leader awaits verdict

Bizimungu had always distanced himself from the excesses of the Hutu regime

Rwanda's first post-genocide president is due to hear the verdict in his trial for threatening state security.

Pasteur Bizimungu's trial is seen as a test of the judiciary's independence.

As a Hutu he was presented as a symbol of the new government's determination to bring about reconciliation between Tutsis and Hutus.

But he resigned as president in 2000 amid growing differences within the government and was then imprisoned - when he tied to form a political party.

The government accused him of promoting ethnic divisions and trying to destabilise the country.

With his former minister of transport and six other co-accused, Mr Bizimungu was charged with threatening state security, forming a militia, and inciting civil disobedience.

Prosecutors called for him to be jailed for life.

But human rights groups have questioned the evidence against the men amid claims the charges are politically motivated.

Mr Bizimungu was one of only a handful of Hutus to join the Rwandan Patriotic Front - the RPF - the rebel movement formed among Tutsi exiles in Uganda. The RPF took control of Rwanda in July 1994, putting an end to the genocide organised by extremist Hutu leaders.

But after his resignation, the former president became a vocal critic of the RPF-led government.

Drama

The BBC's Rob Walker in Rwanda says that trial is seen as particularly sensitive for the authorities as Mr Bizimungu is one of the few moderate Hutu politicians to publicly oppose the government and remain in the country.

While the RPF says it has introduced stability and multi-party democracy, its critics claim it has centralised power within a Tutsi elite and crushed potential opponents - by accusing them of promoting ethnic divisions.

The past weeks have seen moments of drama in the courtroom.

One prosecution witness withdrew his testimony, claiming it had been made under police duress.

Mr Bizimungu's lawyer was also briefly jailed by the judge for contempt of court.