A 75-year-old Rwandan man, arrested in the Netherlands in 2019 and extradited two years later to Rwanda, was sentenced to twenty years in prison for complicity in the massacres perpetrated during the 1994 Tutsi genocide, official media reported on Thursday, September 5.
According to the prosecution, citing witnesses, Venant Rutunga allegedly brought police officers to ISAR, the agricultural research institute where he was regional director, to assassinate Tutsi employees and those seeking refuge there. Rwandan justice convicted him “to twenty years in prison for his involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi” and recognized him “guilty of complicity in genocide”reports the New Times.
The genocide against the Tutsi minority in Rwanda, orchestrated by the extremist Hutu regime in power, left more than 800,000 dead between April and July 1994.
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Not enough evidence to establish direct involvement in the murders
The accused initially faced three charges: genocide, complicity in genocide and complicity in extermination as a crime against humanity. But the three-judge panel ruled that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that Venant Rutunga had personally participated in the killings or provided weapons.
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Prosecutors had sought a life sentence. Mr. Rutunga, who pleaded not guilty, argued that he had called the officers to provide security for ISAR, a decision he said was approved by the school’s board of directors. He showed no signs of emotion in court as the sentence was read.
His lawyer, Me Sophonie Sebaziga, told local press that she would visit her client in prison to “discuss next steps” regarding a possible appeal.
