Sosthène Munyemana’s appeal rejected as Paris court confirms guilt in 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, though prosecutors sought life imprisonment
Paris — A French appeals court on Thursday evening upheld the conviction of Sosthène Munyemana, a former Rwandan gynaecologist found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and complicity in genocide during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The court maintained the original 24-year prison sentence handed down by a lower court in 2023, rejecting Munyemana’s appeal but also denying prosecutors’ request for a life sentence.
Five-Week Appeal Ends in Conviction
Munyemana, 69, infamously known as the “Butcher of Tumba,” had appealed the 2023 ruling in hopes of overturning his conviction. His appeal hearings began on September 16 and ran through October 23, during which the court revisited the horrific events that unfolded in the former Butare Prefecture during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Over 40 witnesses for both the defense and civil parties testified during the five-week trial, painting competing portraits of Munyemana’s role during the genocide that claimed an estimated 800,000 to one million lives in just 100 days.
While the appeals court confirmed his guilt, it stopped short of the harsher punishment sought by prosecutors, who had requested that he be sentenced to life imprisonment.
From Respected Doctor to Convicted Genocidaire
Born in 1955 in Musambira, now in Kamonyi District, Munyemana studied medicine at the then National University of Rwanda before specializing in gynaecology in Bordeaux, France. He built a career as a medical professional, earning respect in both Rwanda and France.
However, during the 1994 genocide, while living in Tumba, Butare, Munyemana’s role took a dark turn. He was accused of detaining Tutsi civilians at the Tumba sector office before they were killed—actions that earned him the chilling moniker “Butcher of Tumba.”
Witness Testimony Sealed His Fate
Throughout the appeal hearings, witnesses testified that Munyemana actively participated in meetings that encouraged the extermination of Tutsi. Multiple witnesses alleged that he held the key to the Tumba sector office, where many Tutsi civilians were imprisoned before being executed.
The testimony proved damaging enough for the appeals court to reject his claims of innocence, though not sufficiently compelling for judges to increase his sentence to life imprisonment as prosecutors had requested.
Defense Claims Rejected
Munyemana maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, insisting that he rescued people rather than harmed them. His defense team, comprising five lawyers, argued vigorously that he had no role in the killings and presented testimonies from colleagues in France who described him as an exemplary doctor and compassionate person.
Members of Munyemana’s family, including his wife and son, also testified in his defense, portraying him as a man of integrity.
However, the appeals court found the evidence against him credible enough to uphold both his conviction and original sentence.
A Partial Victory for Justice
The verdict represents a partial victory for genocide survivors and civil parties seeking accountability. While the conviction was upheld, confirming Munyemana’s guilt in one of history’s most horrific genocides, some may view the maintained 24-year sentence as falling short of full justice, given prosecutors’ argument that the murder of multiple people warrants life imprisonment under French law.
The case is one of several trials of alleged genocide perpetrators that have taken place in France, which has prosecuted multiple suspects accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Decades-Long Pursuit of Justice
The trial underscores the continuing effort to hold accountable those responsible for the genocide, even three decades after the atrocities occurred. Expert witnesses during the proceedings, including renowned French researcher Hélène Dumas and Belgian judge Damien Vandermeersch, provided crucial testimony about the systematic and premeditated nature of the genocide.
The conviction sends a message that those who participated in the genocide cannot escape justice, regardless of how much time has passed or where they have fled.
For survivors of the Tumba massacres and families of victims, Thursday’s verdict affirms that their suffering was real and that the international community recognizes the crimes committed against them, even if the sentence did not match the full severity prosecutors had sought.
As Munyemana begins serving his 24-year sentence, the case closes one more chapter in Rwanda’s long quest for justice while serving as a reminder that accountability for genocide, though often delayed, can still be achieved.
