Recent Genocide Cases
The major genocide criminal cases that have taken place in the recent past have all been in France at the court of assizes in Paris. The most notable is that of the former Prefect of Gikongoro, Laurent Bucyibaruta. He arrived in France in 1997, and French justice has taken 25 years to catch up with him. Now it seems he is too old and frail to even serve his prison sentence having been found guilty. His case is symptomatic of all that is wrong with international justice. Other recent cases include the two bourgmeisters (mayors) Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira and the Interahamwe driver Claude Muhayimana. All the accused had lived comfortable retirements in France for many years. All were found guilty of genocide-related crimes.
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Claude MUHAYIMANA – Paris appeal court FINALLY confirms his genocide guilt
UPDATE – 27 February 2026 The Paris Appeal court has upheld the original 2021 trial judgement of GUILTY, and the sentence of 14 years, against Claude Muhayimana, the 65 year-old former driver and hotel worker from Kibuye. After nearly nine hours of deliberating, at 7.40 pm on Friday 27 February, the court president Sabine…
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Laurent Bucyibaruta – Genocidaire dies quietly at home – French ‘justice’ too late again
The death of Laurent Bucyibaruta has been announced. The former prefect of Gikongoro, who escaped justice for 22 years, before finally being convicted in summer 2022 of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity, had been allowed to continue living at home in Saint-André-les-Vergers for the past year while awaiting an appeal against his conviction.
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Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira: French court sentences two mayors to life for genocide
In May 2018 the two bourgmeisters (mayors), who had fled to France after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, had the trial verdict of guilty of genocide upheld by the Paris Criminal Court. It ended a long judicial case that had begun nine years earlier. It was found they used their position to organise and lead militia to massacre Tutsis – including the horrific attack at Kabarondo churching April 1994 that led to 2,000 unarmed, defenceless Tutsis – men, women, children, babies – being hacked to death.
