Rwanda says acquittal of genocide suspect ‘unfortunate’

Rwanda’s Prosecutor-General Richard Muhumuza has described as ‘unfortunate’ the decision by a French Appeals Court to release a genocide suspect. This after a French court acquitted Dr Charles Twagira who was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a Rwandan court for crimes against humanity and genocide in 2009. Shortly after that ruling, Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), a France-based umbrella organisation which advocates for the rights of genocide survivors, sued Twagira. The New Times reports that Muhumuza said his government was ‘not surprised’ by the decision but will not relent in its pursuit of genocide suspects. ‘It’s an unfortunate situation but, of course, we respect court decisions. We will continue to engage our counterparts in France to make sure that Twagira and other genocide suspects in that country face trial,' he added, according to the report.