A French court has sentenced Rwandan doctor, Sosthene Munyemana to 24 years in prison for his involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority. The 68-year-old was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and aiding in a conspiracy to prepare these crimes. His lawyers plan to appeal the verdict.
The court, on Wednesday, found Munyemana guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and participation in a conspiracy to prepare these crimes, the Guardian UK reported.
His sentencing was a result of aiding in drafting a letter endorsing the massacre of the Tutsi minority, along with setting up roadblocks to gather people and confining them in cruel conditions before their eventual slaughter in Butare, his residence at the time.
Munyemana’s legal representatives expressed their intentions to appeal the verdict, countering the public prosecutor’s demand for a 30-year sentence. The prosecutor argued that Munyemana’s actions collectively mirrored the characteristics of a participant in the genocide.
During the trial, Munyemana consistently refuted the allegations, asserting that he was a moderate Hutu who aimed to shelter Tutsis by offering refuge in local government offices.
In 2011, a French court first charged Munyemana based on suspicion of involvement in the genocide, associating closely with Jean Kambanda, the leader of the interim government established after the assassination of then-President Juvénal Habyarimana in 1994.
This trial, held at the Assize Court in Paris, occurred nearly 30 years after a complaint was filed against Munyemana in Bordeaux in 1995.
It marks the sixth trial in France of participants in the Rwandan massacres, which claimed the lives of approximately 800,000 individuals, primarily Tutsis, over a harrowing 100 days by Hutu soldiers and extremist militias, according to UN statistics.
France, a notable destination for individuals implicated in the Rwandan genocide seeking refuge, has faced criticism from Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame, for allegedly hesitating to extradite or prosecute genocide suspects.
Since 2014, France has successfully tried and convicted six figures, including a former spy chief, two ex-mayors, and a former hotel chauffeur, with the genocide.
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