{Rwanda National Prosecutions Authority has welcomed the decision of a French court to hand a 25-year sentence to Pascal Simbikangwa for complicity in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. }
The court of appeal of Bobigny Assize in Paris, France, convicted Simbikangwa of genocide crimes and crimes against humanity last week.
Simbikangwa who was among presidential guards of former president Juvenal Habyarimana and served in intelligence services was handed a 25-year jail term in 2014 but appealed against the judgment prior to the final decision of the court last week.
The spokesperson of the NPPA, Faustin Nkusi has however said they would have opted for a heavier punishment.
“We are satisfied with the sentence though we thought he would get a heavier punishment since he was among top genocide accomplices,” he said.
Nkusi explained that France still have a lot to do since it has been host of many genocidaires in the past 22 years without arresting them nor pursuing them.
“Up to date we have issued arrest warrants for 39 genocidaires wandering freely in France which has not deported even one suspect and courts decided not to send any of them to be tried in Rwanda,” he said.
The president of IBUKA, Prof. Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu has said that they welcomed the court’s decision of sentencing Simbikangwa adding that France should deport genocide suspects or take them to courts.
“We commend the decision of the French court. We expected heavier punishment but 25 years are enough. France has in particular got to do more since it has enough information than any other country. Just as they have done with Simbikangwa, they should look at the files of other genocide suspects that are still wandering freely in their land,” he said.
He explained that deporting genocide suspects to Rwanda helps facilitate eye witnesses without much expenses or necessity of interpreters.
Dusingizemungu noted that judges should also think about compensation for genocide survivors in case a person is convicted.
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