The Hillerød court reviewed how the 2024 sentence handed down by Rwanda's appellate court could be implemented under Danish law, as per prior agreements between the two countries.
In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the court ruled that Twagirayezu must serve the full 20-year term in accordance with Denmark's legal system.
The decision aligned with the prosecution's recommendation. However, Twagirayezu's lawyer, Eddie Khawaja, announced plans to appeal, arguing that the Danish court should have rejected the Rwandan verdict or imposed a reduced sentence of 12 to 16 years.
Twagirayezu was convicted for his role in the killings of over 2,000 Tutsi who had sought refuge at Busasamana Parish and the University of Mudende. Witnesses said he entered the church with a dog, reportedly used to hunt down Tutsi civilians.
During proceedings, Twagirayezu denied all charges, claiming mistaken identity. However, both Rwandan and Danish courts rejected his defence.
Danish media highlighted that a 20-year sentence is among the most severe punishments in Denmark, second only to life imprisonment.
Twagirayezu was extradited from Denmark to Rwanda in 2018, under an agreement that any resulting sentence would be served in Denmark if he were convicted. At the time, he claimed that during the Genocide's onset in April 1994, he had been on Easter holiday in Congo.
He moved to Denmark in 2001 and later acquired Danish citizenship.
A former teacher in Rwanda, Twagirayezu, has consistently denied any involvement in the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Rwanda's High Council Chamber initially acquitted him in January 2024, but the prosecution appealed, and in July 2024, the Court of Appeal found him guilty and imposed a 20-year sentence.
IGIHE
