The Rwanda genocide tribunal starts its first-ever retrial on Wednesday. Tharcisse Muvunyi faces charges of publicly inciting massacres of Tutsis.

Lieutenant Colonel Tharcisse Muvunyi (1953) is the first genocide suspect to be retried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania.

The former military officer will be tried over a speech he allegedly made at a public meeting in the Gikore Trade Centre in Butare at the end of May 1994.

Prosecutors say Muvunyi expressed virulent anti-Tutsi sentiments in traditional proverbs while calling on the local population to exterminate all Tutsis, including women and children.

"The people understood these proverbs to mean exterminating the Tutsis and the meetings nearly always resulted in the massacre of Tutsis who were living in the commune or who had taken refuge in the commune," the indictment reads.

Prosecutors also maintain that Muvunyi played a leading role in organising and carrying out massacres in Butare, where he was the most senior military officer. He also was Commander of the École des sous-officiers (ESO).

More than 100,000 people were killed in Butare during the 1994 genocide. In total, 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered over 100 days.

The tribunal, in 2006, had already found Muvunyi guilty of genocide, direct and public incitation to commit genocide and inhumane acts as a crime against humanity and sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment.

But in an unprecedented move, in August last year, the Appeals Chamber quashed the sentence. It ruled that there was insufficient evidence for his conviction on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. However, they ordered a partial re-trial in which he is solely charged with direct and public incitement to commit genocide in relation to his speech in Butare.

Muvunyi had been living in the UK since 1998 under a temporary asylum. The tribunal was informed of his presence there by the British newspaper "The Sunday Times", which reported that he was living on social security in London with his family.

Muvunyi was arrested in February 2000 and was transferred to Arusha seven months later. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Also see the research file on the Hague Justice Portal