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Genocide survivors hail French court life sentence to perpetrators

Xinhua, July 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Survivors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide have hailed a decision by the French court to send two Rwandan genocide perpetrators to life in prison.

On Wednesday evening, Octavian Ngenzi, 58, and Tito Barahira, 64, former mayors of Kabarondo in eastern Rwanda, were both sentenced to life in prison by the Paris' Cour d'Assises, in France.

They were found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Prof. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, president of Ibuka, an umbrella association of Rwanda genocide survivors commended France for ensuring that justice is served to genocide victims.

"The sentence matches the gravity of crimes for which they have been found guilty. Finally the French court has done a good job and justice that has been denied for long has been served. We thank the many individuals who played a role to help in this trial," he added.

Dusingizemungu called on the French government to arrest other genocide suspects who still roam free in France to face justice.

Ngenzi and Barahira were accused of participating in the killings of Tutsi refugees at Kabarondo Catholic Church, in Ngoma district, Eastern Province in April 1994.

Ngenzi was particularly accused of supervising the killing of over 1,200 people who had taken refuge in the church.

Ngenzi was arrested in Mayotte islands in 2010. In 2013, the other Barahira was arrested in Toulouse, a city in south-western France.

According to Johnston Busingye, Rwandan minister for Justice, French court has finally respected the rule of international law on genocide.

"Despite the fact that, France has sentenced some of the genocide fugitives to a life in prison, there are about 39 indictments seated in France, 15 extradition applications systematically denied, 28 cases pending before French courts, that need to worked on but still in vain," he stressed.

According to Rwanda Genocide Tracking Unit, some of the genocide suspects living freely in France include Agathe Kanziga, widow of former President Juvenal Habyarimana; Manasse Bigwenzare, a former judge; Sosthene Munyemana, and Dr Eugene Rwamucyo, suspected of involvement in the Genocide in southern Rwanda. Endit