Former police officer faces trial in France for role in Rwandan genocide

By Gizem Taskin Nicollet

PARIS (AA) – The trial of a former Rwandan police officer charged with genocide and crimes against humanity during the Rwandan genocide began in Paris on Wednesday.

Philippe Hategekimana sought refuge in France under a false identity after the genocide in 1994 and acquired French citizenship under the name Philippe Manier.

According to the 170-page indictment order examined by the French daily newspaper Le Monde, Manier is accused of playing a "significant role in the perpetration of the Tutsi genocide."

The plaintiffs claim that Hategekimana exploited his position and authority to actively contribute to the genocide. They alleged that he was involved in organizing extermination operations in Nyanza and nearby villages, collaborating closely with local leaders and gendarmes from his brigade.

He is also accused of killing the mayor of Ntyazo, who bravely opposed the killings, as well as a nun.

Additionally, Hategekimana is accused of being involved in the massacre of 300 Tutsis on Nyamugari Hill and participating in an attack on Nyabubare Hill, resulting in the slaughter of around 1,000 civilians.

The trial, expected to conclude in June, will include testimony from approximately 100 witnesses, including individuals who have traveled specifically from Rwanda.

If convicted, 66-year-old Hategekimana may face a life sentence in prison.

This is the fifth such trial in France of an individual accused of participating in the massacres that took place in Rwanda during the spring of 1994.