In France, a former doctor involved in the genocide in Rwanda was imprisoned for 24 years
[ad_1]
A French court has jailed a former doctor for 24 years for his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
He became the sixth person convicted in France in connection with the murders of the Tutsi people, The Guardian reports.
The 68-year-old former gynecologist Sosten Munyeman was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and conspiracy to commit these crimes.
As the investigation established, the man participated in writing a letter in support of the then interim government, which encouraged mass killings of the Tutsi minority.
| The skulls of the victims of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda are displayed at a memorial in Kigali. Photo: SIMON WOHLFAHRT/Getty Images |
He also helped set up roadblocks where people were detained. From there, they were taken to the offices of local authorities, where they were kept in inhumane conditions, and later killed.
Munyemana was also close to Jean Kambanda, the head of the interim government of Rwanda, which was created after the assassination of President Juvenal Gabyarimana.
Munjemana denied the charges during his trial. The man claimed that he was a Hutu moderate and tried to “save” the Tutsis by offering them “shelter” in local government offices.
The lawsuit against Munyeman was filed back in 1995, but the trial took place only now. The state prosecutor demanded that the former doctor be sentenced to 30 years in prison, but the court imposed only 24 years. The defendant’s lawyers said they plan to appeal the verdict.
This is already the sixth trial in France of those involved in the mass killings in Rwanda. According to the UN, in 1994, in 100 days, Hutu soldiers killed about 800,000 people, most of whom were ethnic Tutsis.
To hide from justice, those involved in the genocide fled to different countries. France among them was one of the most popular.
It will be recalled that the hills of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, World War I cemeteries in Belgium and France, and the former torture center in Argentina have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Read also: Lessons from the Holodomor: how can we preserve the memory of the genocide without traumatizing ourselves again
[ad_2]
Original Source Link
