Paris court sentences doctor to long prison term
In 1994, around 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda, most of them belonging to the Tutsi ethnic group. A doctor from the East African country is now serving a long prison sentence. This is already the sixth trial for involvement in the genocide in France.
A former doctor from the East African country has been sentenced to 24 years in prison in France for the genocide in Rwanda. A jury in Paris found 68-year-old Sosthène Munyemana guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and participation in a conspiracy to prepare these crimes. His lawyers immediately announced their intention to appeal. The former gynecologist, who has lived in the southwest of France since 1994, has denied all charges. The public prosecutor's office had demanded 30 years in prison.
Munyemana is said to have been close to the Rwandan interim government, which had called for the mass murder of the Tutsi ethnic group in 1994. According to the prosecution, he had taken part in a meeting at which roadblocks were decided at which Tutsi were arrested in order to kill them later. Munyemana also had the key to an office in which several members of the Tutsi ethnic group were locked up for days in undignified conditions before being killed. The accused, however, had stated that he had been a moderate Hutu and had not wanted to imprison those under threat, but to hide and save them.
Around 800,000 people were killed in the genocide in Rwanda between April and July 1994, most of them from the Tutsi ethnic group, but also moderate Hutu. The trial against Munyemana was the sixth trial in France against suspected accomplices to the genocide. Before the former doctor, six men - three high-ranking officials, a military officer, a gendarme and a driver - were sentenced in France to between 14 years and life imprisonment for their involvement in the genocide. Also on Tuesday, two men from Rwanda were found guilty in a genocide trial in the Belgian capital Brussels.
The 76-year-old Pierre Basabosé is said to have been one of the financiers of the Hutu militia Interahamwe in Rwanda, which played a central role in the genocide. The 66-year-old Séraphin Twahirwa is said to have commanded an Interahamwe unit in Kigali, which is alleged to have committed dozens of murders. He is also accused of raping Tutsi women. The two men have now been found guilty of war crimes and genocide. The sentence is to be announced soon. The men are facing life imprisonment.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
- The genocide in Rwanda, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 800,000 people, predominantly from the Tutsi ethnic group, is a tragic event with significant implications for justice in Africa.
- The trial against Sosthène Munyemana in France marked the sixth trial for involvement in the genocide, underscoring the international community's commitment to bringing criminals associated with genocide to justice.
- The genocide in Rwanda and subsequent trials in France and Belgium demonstrate the importance of international cooperation in addressing crimes against humanity and holding perpetrators accountable, regardless of their current location.
- While several individuals have been sentenced for their role in the genocide, the scope and depth of criminality during this period continue to challenge Africa and the world to engage in ongoing processes of reconciliation and healing.
Source: www.ntv.de
