The Court of Appeal in France on Tuesday, December 17, upheld the life sentence for Philippe Hategekimana, alias Biguma, a former deputy commander of the Gendarmerie in Rwanda, for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly in the Southern Province.
In a post on X, Jean-Damascène Bizimana, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, said that "justice is served for the victims of the genocide committed against the Tutsi in Nyanza and the surrounding areas."
"On appeal, gendarme warrant officer Philippe Hategekimana alias Biguma was found guilty by the Paris Assize Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. May resilience accompany the survivors."
Justice est rendue pr les victimes du génocide commis contre les Tutsi à Nyanza et ses environs. En appel l'adjudant gendarme Philippe Hategekimana alias Biguma est reconnu coupable par la cour d'assises Paris et condamné à perpétuité. Que la résilience accompagne les survivants.-- Dr. Jean Damascene BIZIMANA (@DrDamascene) December 17, 2024
Hategekimana was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. In its ruling, the court emphasized the grave nature of the crimes, noting that his actions were instrumental in the scale of massacres in Nyanza. He was convicted of participating in massacres of the Tutsi in Nyanza, Nyabubare, Nyamure, Ntyazo, and ISAR-Songa (Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda). He was also found guilty of the murder of Narcisse Nyagasaza, the former bourgmestre of Ntyazo commune.
In June 2023, a lower court sentenced him to life imprisonment. He appealed. The appeal process began in early November, following his request to overturn the sentence. During the appeal trial, testimonies from numerous witnesses implicated Hategekimana in orchestrating and participating in the killings.
After the genocide, Hategekimana fled to France, where he adopted a false identity of Philippe Manier. He obtained refugee status and French citizenship in 2005. He worked as a university security guard in Rennes but fled to Cameroon in 2017 after facing media scrutiny and a complaint filed against him by the France-based rights group, Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR).
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Hategekimana was arrested in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in 2018 and extradited to France.
Since 2019, he had been in custody awaiting trial.
Hategekimana's Genocide case was the seventh to be tried by French courts. It followed the case of Capt Pascal Simbikangwa (case concluded); that of Octavien Ngenzi and Tite Barahira (case concluded); Claude Muhayimana (case under appeal); Laurent Bucyibaruta (dead); Dr Sosthène Munyemana (cases under appeal), as well as the case of Dr Eugene Rwamucyo (case under appeal).
