Posted at 12:47 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 14, 1999

Catholic bishop accused of genocide arrested in Rwandan capital

KIGALI, April 14 -- (AFP) -- A Rwandan Roman Catholic bishop was arrested here Wednesday to face charges of genocide, the judiciary in Kigali said.

Augustin Misago, whose diocese is Gikongoro in southwest Rwanda, was taken to a police station in the capital after being seized at the papal nuncio's residence, the public prosecutor's office said.

He is the first Roman Catholic official of his rank to be arrested in Rwanda for genocide.

Gikongoro's case was raised April 7 by President Pasteur Bizimungu during ceremonies to mark the fifth anniversary of the massacre of up to 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus between April and July 1994.

``Across Rwanda, Christians spoke about Bishop Misago who is accused of genocide and has not been arrested,'' Bizimungu said.

``We have waited for the Catholic Church to speak about his case, we have waited for the party in question himself to deny the information and we have been waiting for this for five years,'' added the president.

``Even if his innocence ends up being proved, we will ask the Vatican to rid us of this man, that he be sent away from Rwanda so that our society can be purged of this bishop in whom the faithful no longer have confidence,'' he added.


Copyright 1999 Miami Herald