{"id":52316,"date":"2024-12-18T09:08:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T09:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/paris-appeals-court-upholds-life-sentence-for-genocide-convict-philippe\/"},"modified":"2024-12-18T09:07:51","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T09:07:51","slug":"paris-appeals-court-upholds-life-sentence-for-genocide-convict-philippe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/paris-appeals-court-upholds-life-sentence-for-genocide-convict-philippe\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Appeals Court upholds life sentence for Genocide convict Philippe Hategekimana"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hategekimana served as a Gendarme in Nyanza during the Genocide and was accused of orchestrating deadly attacks against Tutsi civilians at Nyamure Hill, Nyabubare, ISAR Songa, and roadblocks in Nyanza.<\/p>\n

He was also implicated in the murder of Narcisse Nyagasaza, the then Mayor of Ntyazo Commune, for attempting to help Tutsi escape to Burundi via the Akanyaru River.<\/p>\n

In November 2024, Hategekimana launched an appeal, denying all charges and claiming that testimonies against him were fabricated. However, witnesses maintained their accounts, describing his direct involvement in the atrocities.<\/p>\n

The Paris court dismissed his claims and reaffirmed the life sentence, emphasizing the gravity of his crimes and his leadership role in promoting genocidal ideology.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jean Damasc\u00e8ne Bizimana, Rwanda’s Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, welcomed the verdict, stating, \u201cJustice has been served at the Paris Assize Appeals Court.<\/p>\n

Adjutant Philippe Hategekimana, alias Biguma, is unequivocally convicted of being a key perpetrator of the Genocide in Nyanza and its surrounding areas. Those he murdered have received justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/figure>\n

Jean No\u00e9 Mwizerwa, President of the Rwandan Community in France (CRF), highlighted the historical significance of the ruling, noting that it ended over 30 years of impunity. \u201cThis verdict closes a chapter of impunity for Hategekimana, who sought refuge in France under a false identity and obtained citizenship over three decades ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hategekimana, who acquired French citizenship in 2005, was arrested in Cameroon in 2018 and extradited to France. His trial began in September 2021.<\/p>\n

According to the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR), the court\u2019s decision is a testament to ongoing efforts to bring genocide perpetrators hiding abroad to justice.<\/p>\n

Richard Gisagara, a lawyer representing the victims, affirmed, \u201cPhilippe Hategekimana, alias Biguma, has been found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity in his appeal. His life imprisonment sentence has been upheld. Justice has prevailed! My thoughts are with those who perished in Nyanza, Ntyazo, Nyabubare, ISAR Songa, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said this ruling reinforces the importance of holding individuals accountable for crimes of Genocide, ensuring justice for victims and survivors while deterring future atrocities.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On December 17, 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the life sentence handed to Philippe Hategekimana, alias Biguma, in June 2023 for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The 67-year-old former gendarme was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, marking a critical step toward justice for victims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2000078996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-52316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000078996,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-160.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-160.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-160.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-160.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-160.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-160.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000078996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52316"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=52316"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=52316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}