Kigali — After continued postponement of the Gacaca trials, the National Service of Gacaca jurisdiction has set July 15 as the date to begin the trials. Addressing a press conference at her office, Gacaca Executive Secretary Domitilla Mukantaganzwa said that trials would take off in all Gacaca courts across the country and called upon the media to give them full coverage.

"Trials will be starting in all parts of the country and we kindly take this opportunity to request the media mostly the media houses in Rwanda to give a full coverage of the trials," said Mukantaganzwa.

She also took swipe at sections of the international media, saying they portrayed a negative picture about Gacaca in Rwanda.

'That is the reason why we urge all media houses to follow the trials; we do not what misrepresentation of issues on the ground, the media should now come up with the right picture of Gacaca trials from the grassroots," Mukantaganzwa said. She however, acknowledged that Gacaca still faced some challenges.

"The genocide is not yet history, the architects and the executors are still at large," she said, adding that cases of corruption and survivors who are not willing to testify had hampered the Gacaca progress. Mukantaganzwa also said the trials are expected to end by 2007.

The trials are to be held at Sector and Cell level, with suspects in the Second Category said to have indirectly participated and confessed at the Sector level. Those who are accused of destroying property will be tried at the Cell level.

Mukantangazwa also revealed that there was a proposal for the establishment of the National Gacaca Court to try suspects in Category One.

After the territorial demarcations, most Gacaca courts stopped functioning and the Gacaca Law is awaiting assent.