Dr. Eugene Rwamucyo
The Paris Court of Assizes has opened in substance the trial of Dr. Eugene Rwamucyo 65, a man who is accused of committing genocide crimes during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi which claimed over 1 million tutsi between April and early July 1994.
During the Genocide, Dr. Rwamucyo was the Director of Public health, a department of the school of Medicine at National University of Rwanda-Butare, currently Huye in Southern Province.
He is accused of genocide planning, Genocide crimes, crimes against humanity and conspiracy in Genocide crimes. He is accused to have committed the crimes in Huye, Mukura, Ndora, Ngoma and Gishamvu, all of which are currently sectors of Huye and Gisagara districts respectively.
Among others, Rwamucyo is accused to have been part of roadblocks where Tutsi could be arrested and killed.
He is also accused to have supervised interahamwe who were burying the Tutsi alive, an allegation he previously denied during investigations.
Rwamucyo defended that he only assisted people to bury the dead bodies, “which was a legitimate responsibility of a director of public health because dead bodies would pose a public danger if not buried.”
Rwamucyo would have committed the crimes in collaboration with key Genocide masterminds including the then Prime Minister Jean Kambanda, Minister of Gender and Family Pauline Nyiramasuhuko and recently convicted Dr. Sosthene Munyemana, all from Butare.
Dr Eugene Rwamucyo was arrested in France in 2010 while attending the funeral of one Jean Bosco Barayagwiza who was a Genocide convict.
Meanwhile, the community justice-Gacaca of Ngoma in Huye district found Rwamucyo guilty of Genocide crimes and sentenced him in absentia to life in jail.
In this trial, 60 witnesses will be heard, while civil parties include nearly 800 people who seek compensation.
The trial started on October 1st and will run through October 30.
