A ‘disaster’ in which 800,000 people died due to division under colonial rule.
Although 29 years have passed… It needs to be corrected now
It is also part of the improvement of diplomatic relations between Rwanda and France.
A court in Paris, France, sentenced a Rwandan doctor to severe punishment for his involvement in the Rwandan genocide 29 years ago.
Foreign media such as the Associated Press and BBC reported on the 20th (local time) that a Paris court sentenced doctor Soste Muniemana (68) to 24 years in prison on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and aiding and abetting genocide during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. reported.
Muniemana was accused by prosecutors of organizing torture and murder between April and June 1994 at the site of the massacre in which 800,000 people died.
The Rwandan genocide was an incident that exploded the conflict that had built up when Rwanda was divided into the ethnic Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority during the Belgian colonial era. Belgium encouraged civil war through discriminatory policies that put Tutsi officials at the forefront. The Hutus, who took power after Rwanda’s independence, massacred the Tutsi, who had vested interests under colonial rule.
Muniemana signed an agreement supporting the provisional government that organized the massacre and ‘hunted’ civilians. He blocked roads in Butare, southern Rwanda, arrested people, and detained them in inhumane conditions before killing them. Muniemana is also friends with former Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kambanda, who was the head of the interim government.
A gynecologist, he moved to France just a few months after the massacre. Afterwards, suspicions arose against him, and the French Rwandan community filed a complaint against him for the first time in 1995. However, due to diplomatic relations between France and Rwanda, it took 28 years for French prosecutors to bring the case to trial.
In 1994, in order to increase its influence in Rwanda, France aided and abetted the tragedy by supporting the military even though it knew of signs of a Hutu genocide. However, the French government has maintained its position that it is not responsible for the Rwandan genocide.
Afterwards, conflict with Rwanda grew, and the two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2006. However, the relationship between the two countries is gradually improving, with France showing signs of effort, such as admitting some responsibility in 2009 and writing an investigation report through a fact-finding committee in 2019.
The results of this trial can also be said to be a move to resolve past mistakes and improve diplomatic relations.
Meanwhile, Muniemana maintained his innocence and announced his intention to appeal. He has not been detained once and is said to be able to live freely while his appeal is pending.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.