A French appeals court has upheld a 23-year prison sentence handed to Dr Eugène Rwamucyo after finding him guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Rwamucyo had appealed the 2024 verdict delivered by the Paris Court of Assizes, which convicted him following a trial over his role in events during the genocide. The appeals court rejected his challenge and confirmed the original sentence.
During the appeal proceedings, Rwamucyo appeared with a new defence team of seven lawyers, replacing the two attorneys who represented him during the initial trial.
Rwamucyo, a former doctor and lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, was accused of taking part in a meeting chaired by former prime minister Jean Kambanda, where intellectuals were called upon to contribute to the genocide.
Prosecutors also accused him of organising the burial of Tutsi victims killed in Butare using heavy equipment, including road construction machinery, arguing that the operation was intended to conceal evidence of the killings.
Rwamucyo rejected the accusations, telling the court that the burials were carried out for humanitarian and public health reasons, including removing bodies from public areas and preventing the spread of disease.
He said the locations where victims were buried were known to people involved in the killings but denied creating records to conceal crimes. He told the court that he had prepared documents about the burials, but they were lost when he fled Rwanda in June 1994.
During the appeal hearing, prosecutors requested a 30-year prison sentence, while Rwamucyo sought acquittal and his release.
The court ultimately upheld the 23-year sentence, leaving the original conviction in place.
