Former doctor jailed in France over role in 1994 Rwanda genocide
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Sosthene Munyemana is convicted and jailed in France for 24 years over involvement in the slaughter of the Tutsi minority.
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Rwandan doctor Sosthene Munyemana arrives at court on November 14, 2023, in Paris. (AFP)
The French court convicted former Rwandan doctor Sosthene Munyemana for his involvement in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis, with a 24-year prison time.
The 68-year-old gynecologist was on Wednesday found guilty of crimes against humanity, genocide, and for participating in a conspiracy to prepare these crimes. That said, his lawyers said they planned to appeal the verdict.
Munyemana was accused of pushing a draft letter of support for the then interim government, which was in favor of the Tutsi minority massacre.
Today marks the 29th anniversary of the #RwandanGenocide , also named the genocide against #Tutsis in 1994, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. pic.twitter.com/n3AzPDIUY3
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 7, 2023
Some of his accusations involved setting up roadblocks to gather people and keep them sequestered in inhumane conditions before being killed in the southern Rwandan prefecture of Buatre, where he lived at the time. However, Munyemana repeatedly disputed the accusations during the trial, claiming he had instead tried to “save” Tutsis by offering them “refuge” in local government offices.
Evading prosecution in France
This is the sixth trial in France for an alleged participant in the massacres, in which about 800,000 people, most of them ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered over 100 days by Hutu soldiers and extremist militias, according to UN figures.
A #Rwandan man was accused of ordering the murder of almost 2,000 #Tutsis who were seeking refuge in a church during the #RwandanGenocide in 1994. Fulgence Kayishema was arrested in #SouthAmerica, as reported by the #UN tribunal for war crimes committed in #Rwanda. pic.twitter.com/FO0XvsQfjT
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 26, 2023
France has emerged as a favored refuge for individuals involved in the Rwandan genocide seeking to evade prosecution in their home country.
President Paul Kagame's Rwanda has criticized Paris for its reluctance to extradite or prosecute individuals accused of participating in the genocide.
From 2014 onwards, France has taken legal action, resulting in the trial and conviction of six individuals, including a former intelligence chief, two former mayors, and a former hotel chauffeur.
