His trial began on October 7, 2024, and lasted four days. It was based on a complaint filed by three organizations namely; CPCR, Survie, and IBUKA France. Through his book, Onana argued that there was no plan for the Genocide against the Tutsi.
The key issue in the trial was whether the French military's Opération Turquoise had been conducted with the intention of furthering the genocide against the Tutsi or whether such a plan did not exist.
The trial was attended by many people, including Rwandans on the side of the plaintiffs and the defendant. There were also people from the Democratic Republic of Congo supporting Onana.
Legal expert, Professor Thomas Hochmann, was one of the witnesses for the plaintiffs. Contrary to Onana's arguments, Hochmann explained that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), established for the prosecution of crimes committed in Rwanda, had confirmed the existence of a Genocidal plan against the Tutsi.
Professor Hochmann clarified that the tribunal, which operated in Arusha, convicted individuals for committing genocide and for planning it, which serves as evidence that the Genocide took place and was premeditated.
He pointed out that denial of Genocide includes distorting the term in publications, rejecting the findings of courts like the ICTR, as Onana had done.
Lawyer Bernard Maingain explained to the court that it would be impossible for genocide to occur without prior planning.
"How is it possible for 10,000 people to be killed in one day without preparation? How could machetes and other weapons be distributed to people to carry out the killings if it wasn't planned? Could they have identified and killed all Tutsis, knowing where they lived and their identity, without any preparation?" he wondered.
Maingain, from Belgium, further argued that before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi began, lists had already been made of the Tutsis who were to be killed, emphasizing that this is evidence of premeditation.
Onana arrived in court stating that he had never denied the genocide but had linked it to the shooting down of President Juvénal Habyarimana's plane. He also claimed that the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) Inkotanyi had blocked Opération Turquoise from proceeding as planned by France.
The researcher used testimonies from witnesses including General (Retd) Jean-Claude Lafourcade, who led Opération Turquoise, Johan Swinenn, former Belgian Ambassador to Rwanda, and Christian Quesnot, former Chief of Staff for François Mitterrand who led France's operations.
These witnesses stated that Onana's book aimed to reveal the truth about Rwanda's history, but they emphasized that the 1994 Tutsi Genocide was not planned.
Quesnot stated that Onana is an honest person who could not deny the genocide, adding that the ICTR never confirmed the existence of a genocide plan. However, he acknowledged that the genocide occurred and blamed the RPA forces for committing crimes against humanity and war crimes.
For his conviction, Onana has been ordered to pay a fine of 1,400Euros with the risk of 115 days in detention if the fine is not paid on time while his publisher, Damien Serieyx, was fined 5,000Euros.
IGIHE
