Man Sentenced in Belgium For 25 years in Prison Over Rwandan Genocide

Belgian Court Sentences 65-Year-Old Man to 25 Years in Prison for Rwandan Genocide Crimes

A Brussels court has sentenced a 65-year-old Belgian-Rwandan man, Emmanuel Nkunduwimye, to 25 years in prison for murder and rape committed during the genocide.

This is the seventh such trial held in Belgium since 2001 involving alleged crimes committed during the genocide.

Nkunduwimye was found guilty of war crimes and genocide for a series of murders and the rape of a Tutsi woman. The evidence presented during the trial, which began in April, included testimony from the woman he raped, who came to testify in private at the hearing.

Nkunduwimye had denied the accusations and his defense argued that the prosecution’s evidence was unreliable.

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The court found that Nkunduwimye had assisted the Interahamwe militia men “with full knowledge of the facts” and could not have been unaware of the abuses committed at the garage complex in Kigali, where he owned a garage.

The garage was part of a complex of buildings that was the scene of massacres perpetrated by Interahamwe militiamen.

“He could not have been unaware of the abuses committed there,” said the sentencing judge, according to Belga news agency.

Nkunduwimye  was close to several militia leaders, including Georges Rutaganda, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and died in 2010.

The Rwandan genocide, which took place between April and July 1994, claimed at least 800,000 lives, with the majority of victims being members of the Tutsi minority and moderate Hutus.

The genocide was a brutal and devastating period in Rwanda’s history, and it is crucial that those responsible are held accountable.

Belgium’s court recognizes universal jurisdiction for crimes under international humanitarian law committed outside the country, which allows it to prosecute alleged genocidaires.

This is why Nkunduwimye’s trial was held in Belgium, despite the crimes being committed in Rwanda.

The sentence handed down to Nkunduwimye is significant, but it is also important to note that there are still many more cases to be tried and justice to be served.

The trial of Nkunduwimye is just one example of the ongoing efforts to bring perpetrators of genocide to justice.

In December 2023, another Belgian court sentenced Seraphin Twahirwa to life imprisonment for dozens of murders and rapes perpetrated by himself or the Interahamwe militiamen under his authority in Kigali between April and July 1994.

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