A Rwandan war crimes suspect charged with helping to orchestrate the country’s 1994 genocide and arming militias, was granted not guilty pleas during his first court appearance at the Hague Wednesday.
Félicien Kabuga, who arrived at court in a wheelchair, did not respond to the charges before the U.N.’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, but the presiding judge deemed his silence as not guilty pleas.
The 85-year-old faces multiple charges, including complicity in genocide and persecution.
Kabuga is accused of using a radio station he ran to urge ethnic Hutus to kill Tutsis.
He also allegedly funded militias targeting Tutsis across Rwanda.
Kabuga was transferred to the Netherlands in May following his arrest near Paris after more than two decades on the run.
He faces a possible sentence of life in prison if convicted.
