France Jails Former Doctor in Rwandan Genocide Trial

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Facts

  • A former physician who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide was sentenced to 24 years in prison by France. On Wednesday, Sosthene Munyemana, a 68-year-old former gynecologist, was convicted of crimes against humanity and for his role in the plot to plan these crimes.1
  • Following 100 days of mass killings in 1994 — which resulted in an estimated 800K deaths among Tutsis and moderate Hutus — Munyemana is the sixth person to go on trial in France.2
  • The trial took place at the Assize Court in Paris and lasted six weeks. The accusation against Munyemana was made in 1995 in Bordeaux, just months after he had arrived in France — activists had raised alarms about the potential perpetrators of the genocide fleeing to the European nation.3
  • Munyemana's attorneys declared they would appeal both the decision and the prison sentence of 24 years. Given that the "sum total" of his decision demonstrated "the traits of a genocidaire," the public prosecution had requested a 30-year sentence. Munyemana has not been incarcerated and has been at large during the trial. As long as an appeal is pending, he will not be sent to prison.4
  • In 1993, Munyemana was a 38-year-old gynecologist and a close friend of Jean Kambanda, the leader of the interim administration that was in charge of the genocide. Kambanda is the only head of government to have ever entered a guilty plea for genocide.5
  • France has stepped up efforts to apprehend and prosecute genocide suspects in the wake of better ties with Rwanda, which has long accused France of "enabling" the genocide.6

Sources: 1The Guardian, 2France 24, 3RFI, 4Le Monde, 5Euronews and 6ABC News.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Jurist. In the past few years, France has stepped up efforts to apprehend and prosecute genocide suspects. This is the sixth case about the genocide in Rwanda that is making its way through the legal system in Paris, however, since the genocide took place thirty years ago and firsthand accounts are getting harder to come by, it's getting harder and harder to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of the crime. The victims of this horrible murder have been able to seek justice and accountability because of collective efforts and a "universal jurisdiction," which permits France to try major human rights crimes committed outside the nation under specific circumstances.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by JusticeInfo. When it comes to prosecuting those who are accused of committing the genocide in Rwanda, France's "universal jurisdiction" has some serious problems. The genocide occurred far away and was three decades ago. Over time, the evidence has deteriorated and there are a plethora of problems including the challenges of credible witness testimony after such a long time. It's not reasonable to believe that the Paris Assize Court has the right tools for delivering fair sentences. Sadly there are deep systemic problems in the global system allowing for the swift and effective prosecution of perpetrators of genocide.

Predictions