The appeal judgment, delivered shortly after midnight on July 18, 2026, leaves unchanged the verdict handed down on October 30, 2024, when the court found the former Rwandan doctor guilty on both counts and sentenced him to 27 years in prison.
After losing his initial trial, Dr. Rwamucyo replaced the two lawyers who represented him in 2024, Françoise Marthe and Philippe Meilhac. For the appeal, he assembled a seven-member legal team comprising Daniel Fellous, Raphaël Constant, Salome Cohen, Michèle Siari, Jean-Baptiste Harelimana and Alexandre Sztulman.
Dr. Rwamucyo, a former head of the Centre for University Public Health (CUSP) at the former National University of Rwanda, was prosecuted over his role during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Among the evidence examined by the court was his participation in a meeting held at the university on May 14, 1994, chaired by the then Prime Minister, Jean Kambanda.
Prosecutors argued that the gathering encouraged intellectuals to participate in the genocide and alleged that Dr. Rwamucyo addressed the meeting in support of the killings.
The prosecution also accused him of coordinating the burial of victims in various parts of Butare Prefecture using heavy machinery, including a bulldozer, in what it said was an effort to conceal evidence of the genocide.
According to the prosecution, he played a role in the burial of more than 214,000 victims in Butare with the intention of destroying evidence.
Throughout the proceedings, Dr. Rwamucyo denied the allegations. He told the court that he had never sought to conceal the bodies of genocide victims, arguing that it would have been impossible to hide atrocities that had unfolded over several weeks in full public view.
Following the ruling, lawyers representing the civil parties welcomed the appellate court's decision.
'It is very good news for the civil parties from Rwanda, who have waited 32 years for this decision. They can now begin a new chapter on the path toward reconciliation,' said lawyer Alice Zarka.
Dr. Rwamucyo's daughter expressed disappointment with the outcome, saying she had not expected the appeal to fail and was deeply saddened by the judgment.
During the appeal, the prosecution had sought a 30-year prison sentence, while the defence requested a full acquittal and Dr. Rwamucyo's immediate release.
Source : https://new.igihe.com/english/french-court-upholds-27-year-sentence-for-dr-eugene-rwamucyo/
