Béatrice Munyenyezi during a court verdict hearing
Beatrice Munyenye, the daughter-in-law to former Minister Pauline Nyiramasuhuko and wife to Shalom Ntahobari, both Genocide convicts has been sentenced to life in jail over Genocide offences.
Munyenyezi was deported to Rwanda in April 2021 to face charges of genocide crimes and her trial took place in Huye district, Southern Province where the crimes were committed.
Munyenyezi was sentenced on April 12, 2024 by the Huye Intermediate Court that found her guilty of four out of the five charges levied on her.
She was charged with murder as a genocide crime, complicity in genocide, incitement to commit genocide and complicity in rape but cleared on a charge of planning genocide.
On the crime of murder as a crime of Genocide, the court convicted Munyenyezi on grounds that she killed a catholic nun by shooting her with a Pistol after ordering Interahamwe to rape her.
Court also showed that the convicted suspect played a significant role in facilitating rape at her mother-in-law Pauline Nyiramasuhuko’s hotel- an act that was considered as a reward for the interhamwe for killing Tutsis.
Munyenyezi is a daughter-in-law of Nyiramasuhuko (a former minister in the Interim genocidal government led by Theodore Sindikubwabo) and she is married to Nyiramasuhuko’s son- Arsène Shalom Ntahobari, who was also convicted of genocide and sentenced to 47 years by the International Criminal Tribunal-ICTR alongside his mother Nyiramasuhuko.
One of the witnesses in this case (Jean Damascène alias Saddam) testified earlier on that when they were at the checkpoint in Tumba, there was a nun whom Munyenyezi put her in Nyiramasuhuko’s car, and she was taken away, where she was first of all raped and then killed.
The court also confirmed that Munyenyezi ordered the killing of a boy named Aimable, and thus charged her with the crime of genocide as a crime against a humanity.
On the crime of planning genocide, court cleared Munyenyezi of the charge saying the prosecution claims were not founded that she publicly did so, however, court found her guilty of encouraging the Interahamwe militia to kill Tutsi during the genocide since she gave orders that resulted into the killing of Tutsi.
The suspect had earlier on argued in court that she was pregnant during the genocide and she had no physical ability to participate in the killings.
On the crime of complicity in the crime of Genocide, the Court convicted Munyenyezi on grounds that she killed the Tutsis knowingly and willingly, and the fact that she was two months pregnant is unreasonable.
In her defense, Munyenyezi and her lawyer argued that the she was unable to be involved in the killings and asked court for her acquittal and release, however court upheld her conviction and imposed a life sentence, on grounds of having substantial evidence of her involvement in genocide.
Munyenzi has the chance to appeal this sentence to a high court.
