The Paris Court of Appeal in France has upheld the 27-year prison sentence imposed on Dr. Eugène Rwamucyo after finding him guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Dr. Rwamucyo was initially convicted by the Paris Assize Court on 30 October 2024 and sentenced to 27 years in prison. He appealed the verdict, with hearings taking place between 9 June and 17 July 2026.
During the appeal proceedings, prosecutors urged the court to uphold his conviction, arguing that the evidence demonstrated his significant role in the genocide committed against the Tutsi in the former Butare Prefecture. They maintained that he had participated in the planning of the genocide, was complicit in its execution, and committed crimes against humanity.
The prosecution also requested a 30-year prison sentence, arguing that his actions were intended to conceal evidence of the genocide.
Lawyers representing the civil parties seeking damages also told the court that Dr. Rwamucyo supervised the burial of Tutsi victims in a manner that denied them dignity and respect.
Speaking before the court on 13 July 2026, attorney Me Clothilde said the victims’ bodies were buried hastily in mass graves without proper funeral rites or grave markers, adding that the burial sites remain visible today.
In his defense, Dr. Rwamucyo argued that the burials were carried out solely to remove decomposing bodies from public spaces and prevent the spread of disease, insisting that his actions were humanitarian rather than criminal.
He also told the court that those involved in the burial operation knew the locations where Tutsi victims had been buried in Butare. Although he said he had prepared written records about the sites, he claimed the documents were lost when he fled Rwanda in June 1994.
Attorney Me Alice Zarka dismissed this explanation, arguing that the sanitation justification lacked credibility.
” The mass graves and other physical evidence of the genocide remain visible today, adding that invoking public health was an attempt to conceal both the crimes and Dr. Rwamucyo’s alleged role in directing the mass killings.”She stated.
After considering the evidence and arguments presented by both sides, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld Dr. Eugène Rwamucyo’s conviction and reaffirmed his 27-year prison sentence.