Conviction and Sentencing
A French court sentenced Eugène Rwamucyo, a former Rwandan doctor, to 27 years in prison. The court found him guilty of complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, and conspiring to commit these crimes. The charges included spreading propaganda and hiding evidence of mass murder.
Rwamucyo, aged 65, denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers plan to appeal the ruling. The court acquitted him of direct charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. This trial marked France’s eighth prosecution related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. During this genocide, Hutu extremists killed around 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, over 100 days.
Prosecuting attorney Nicolas Peron acknowledged the absence of direct evidence linking Rwamucyo to acts of violence like executions or torture. However, Peron argued Rwamucyo’s responsibility remained undeniable, stating, “You can kill with words.”
The prosecution claimed Rwamucyo, a member of a Hutu family, spread anti-Tutsi propaganda. Witnesses testified that he helped bury victims in mass graves to destroy evidence of the genocide. Prosecutors sought a 30-year sentence, while survivor representatives pushed for a life sentence.
Witness Testimony and Defense Claims
Angélique Uwamahoro, who was 13 during the genocide, testified that she saw Rwamucyo at a roadblock in Butare. She claimed he incited militiamen to kill Tutsi individuals, stating, “He wanted to incite them to kill us so we wouldn’t get out alive.”
In his defense, Rwamucyo insisted he never ordered any killings. His lawyers argued that his involvement in burials aimed to prevent a public health crisis, not to conceal crimes.
In 2009, a Rwandan court sentenced Rwamucyo to life imprisonment in absentia. However, France denied Rwanda’s request for extradition. He was later arrested in 2010 in Sannois, near Paris, after attending the funeral of a former Rwandan official convicted of war crimes.
In a related case, another former doctor, Sosthene Munyemana, was sentenced to 24 years in December. Munyemana’s charges involved organizing torture and killings during the genocide.
