Witness never mentioned Munyaneza in first war crime statement

A witness who described Dsir Munyaneza as the ringleader of a murderous Hutu militia unit never mentioned him in her first statement to war crimes investigators after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

The woman, known only as C-19, said she was concentrating on other people involved in the genocide when she gave the statement in 1999.

In a Montreal courtroom on Monday, defence lawyer Laurence Cohen probed the witness's memory for gaps in her recollection about the genocide, when between 500,000 and 800,000 people were killed, mainly minority Tutsis.

The witness became frustrated at times, saying it's not easy to remember minute details so long after being raped and witnessing so many violent deaths.

The 40-year-old Munyaneza, who came to Canada in 1997, faces seven charges under Canada's seven-year-old War Crimes Act, including genocide and crimes against humanity.