Rwandan victim cross-examined as war crimes trial resumes

A victim of the Rwandan genocide is back on the witness stand at the landmark trial of a man accused of taking part in the 1994 massacre.

The trial of Desir Munyaneza resumed on Wednesday following a jailhouse beating that left Munyaneza unable to sit through court proceedings for nearly a week.

'When I talk about the genocide, I try to erase everything from my mind.' Witness C-17

His lawyer, Richard Perras, told the judge that Munyaneza's health is improving.

"As of this morning, Mr. Munyaneza feels well enough to proceed," Perras said.

"Whether or not he will be able to proceed the whole day is another matter. Yesterday, he read for half an hour and he was exhausted."

The trial resumed with testimony from a witness known only as C-17, in order to protect her identity.

The woman, one of 13 witnesses brought to Canada from Rwanda to testify, previously testified she was raped repeatedly by Munyaneza and saw him kill others.

Under cross-examination, she was unable to recall many details of the events, saying she's tried to forget what happened to her during the 100-day genocide.

"When I talk about the genocide, I try to erase everything from my mind," the witness told the court.

The case is being heard by judge alone.

Munyaneza is facing seven charges under Canada's seven-year-old War Crimes Act, including genocide and crimes against humanity.

He came to Canada in 1997 seeking refugee status and settled in Toronto, where he was arrested in 2005.