A former Rwandan gynecologist faces trial in France on Tuesday for alleged involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1994 massacres in Rwanda.
Sosthene Munyemana, aged 68, is to be tried nearly 30 years after a complaint was filed against him in Bordeaux in 1995, making it one of France’s longest-running cases.
Munyemana, accused of orchestrating torture and killings during the genocide of Tutsis, has resided in France since 1994 and is under judicial control but not in custody.
The trial is the sixth in France concerning participants in the massacres that claimed the lives of around 800,000 people, predominantly ethnic Tutsis, within a span of 100 days.
Rachel Lindon, a lawyer representing 26 victims, expressed the urgency for justice, citing the diminishing number of witnesses over time.
Despite France rejecting an asylum request and later an extradition plea from Rwanda, Munyemana, who denies the charges, faces potential life imprisonment if found guilty.
The trial is slated to continue until December 22.
Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer for human rights organizations, highlighted Munyemana’s alleged close ties to the interim government post the Rwandan president’s plane being shot down, accusing him of supporting actions that encouraged Tutsi massacres.
Munyemana defends himself by claiming that the offices he held keys to served as a refuge for Tutsis seeking protection.
Munyemana’s lawyer, Jean-Yves Dupeux, argued that the case “rests only” on eye witness accounts that date back to decades ago.
“It’s very difficult to rely on testimonies about something that happened so long ago,” he said.
Munyemana worked as an emergency doctor in southwestern France before switching to geriatrics.
More than 800,000 people, mainly minority Tutsis, were massacred by Hutu soldiers and extremist militias in the Rwandan genocide from April to July 1994, according to UN figures.