The trial of Charles Onana has been ongoing in France since October 7, 2024. The charges against Onana are based on his book Rwanda, la vérité sur l'Opération Turquoise: Quand les archives parlent ("Rwanda, the Truth About Operation Turquoise: When the Archives Speak"), published on October 30, 2019.
In the book, Onana argues that there was no planned Genocide against the Tutsi and that the Genocide itself did not occur.
Onana denied the allegations during the trial, though he called upon witnesses who testified, many of whom spoke out against him. Instead of defending Onana, the witnesses described some of the actions they took in Rwanda.
After the trial concluded in November 2024, Charles Onana's defense lawyer, Richard Gisagara, told IGIHE that the prosecution had taken the floor and requested the court to find Onana guilty of the charges, stressing that society fully supported the lawsuit.
'The prosecution, as the complainants have stated, agrees that what Onana did is a crime, that he violated Article 21 of the 1881 law, and should therefore be convicted,' said Gisagara.
'They have not requested any specific penalties, stating that the court should decide on the punishment. However, they have supported the complainants, showing that the prosecution represents society at large. The complainants are individual citizens, but to this moment, we had not received the backing of the entire society,' he added.
Gisagara also noted that based on previous cases involving Holocaust denial, where individuals who denied the Holocaust using similar rhetoric as Onana were convicted, he believed Onana could also be found guilty. 'For my part, I believe we have a good chance of seeing him convicted,' he emphasized.
Experts note that France has distanced itself from individuals accused of denying or trivializing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In April 2024, the French prosecution announced that it was investigating 40 cases involving suspects accused of genocide crimes, with significant efforts being put into bringing these cases to trial.
Félicien Kabuga, a key financier of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, was arrested in France in May 2020 after decades on the run. He is accused of funding genocidal militias and using media to incite violence against the Tutsi. His capture marked a major victory in the pursuit of justice for genocide victims.
Kabuga's arrest in Paris, after an international manhunt became a major boot in prosecuting genocide perpetrators. His trial in The Hague, alongside ongoing cases like Charles Onana's, are a cornerstone in the global fight against genocide denial and the quest for accountability.
IGIHE
