Norway prosecutors seek 21-year jail term for Rwandan genocide suspect

Norwegian prosecutors on Monday urged a maximum 21-year prison sentence for a Rwandan man charged with involvement in the 1994 genocide in the central African country.

There were "no extenuating circumstances" in the case of Sadi Bugingo, prosecutor Marit Formo said in her closing statement.

The 47-year-old was charged with supervising killings of 2 000 people and coordinating attacks by Interahamwe militia that targeted Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.

The defendant took part in meetings, and had ordered others to commit the killings and supervised killings, the prosecutors said in statements broadcast online.

Bugingo has denied the charges. The defence was to make its closing statement later this week at Oslo District Court.

The defendant was also charged with transporting refugees and armed killers to locations in Kibungo, eastern Rwanda, where killings took place, including at a local government building in the community of Birenga.

Testimony from about 60 witnesses were key in the trial that opened in September. Earlier Monday prosecutor Petter Mandt told the court that while their accounts might differ on some details, they put the defendant at the scene.

Bugingo has lived in Bergen, western Norway since 2001. He was arrested last year and has been investigated by Norwegian authorities

since 2008 after being contacted by Rwanda.

A trial recently opened in neighbouring Sweden where another Rwandan man, who holds Swedish citizenship, was charged with similar crimes.