Prosecution of Rwandan genocide suspect dropped

The French judiciary has discontinued its investigation into Callixte Mbarushimana, a former UN employee accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, citing insufficient evidence. Mbarushimana, who has held political refugee status in France for the past 20 years, was first indicted in 2010 for crimes against humanity and complicity in such crimes. The New Times reports that an order issued by a Paris Judicial Court judge from the ‘crimes against humanity’ division, found no case to answer, pointing to a lack of consistent and precise testimony. Mbarushimana is accused of directly participating in the genocide by drawing up lists of the Tutsis to be killed. He was also accused of supplying equipment to the Interahamawe militia. Mbarushimana was previously prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in 2010 for crimes in DRC but was not tried due to insufficient evidence. Rights group Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda has announced plans to appeal the dismissal, criticising the investigation as incomplete, particularly noting unverified witness testimonies and overlooked details from a UN internal report.

Full report in The New Times