A former doctor is set to stand trial on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, accused of participating in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which saw the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Tutsis by the Hutu majority.
Eugene Rwamucyo, 65, is charged with aiding Rwanda’s authorities in spreading anti-Tutsi propaganda and participating in mass murders in an effort to conceal evidence of the genocide. The charges against him include genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, complicity in crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit these crimes.
If convicted, Rwamucyo could face life imprisonment.
This marks the eighth trial in France related to the 1994 genocide, during which an estimated 800,000 people—primarily ethnic Tutsis—were killed.
According to prosecutors, Rwamucyo, who was raised in a Hutu family, became involved with anti-Tutsi militants in the late 1980s after returning from his studies in Russia. He is accused of subsequently promoting anti-Tutsi rhetoric. While serving as a university lecturer, Rwamucyo allegedly took part in the execution of wounded patients and assisted in burying them in mass graves in an attempt to eliminate evidence of the atrocities.
The prosecution has cited witness testimonies to support these claims.
Rwamucyo, who practiced medicine in France and Belgium after fleeing Rwanda, denies all allegations. His lawyer, Philippe Meilhac, contends that the charges are politically motivated due to Rwamucyo’s opposition to Rwanda’s current government. Regarding the burial of victims, Meilhac argued that his client was motivated by a desire to prevent a “health crisis” that would have arisen had the bodies been left exposed.
Rwamucyo was arrested by French police in May 2010 after an international arrest warrant was issued by Rwanda. His arrest followed a tip-off from colleagues at the Maubeuge hospital in northern France, where he had been employed.
“He was openly anti-Tutsi and publicly expressed his support for the genocidal government,” stated Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer representing LDH and FIDH, two human rights organizations acting as plaintiffs in the case.
Approximately 60 witnesses are expected to testify during the trial, which is scheduled to continue until October 29.
This case follows the sentencing of another former doctor, Sosthene Munyemana, by a French court in December 2023. Munyemana received a 24-year prison sentence for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
