The United States has deported a Rwandan national accused of participating in the country’s 1994 genocide, paving the way for him to face trial in Rwanda, prosecutors said.
Jean Léonard Teganya, who was indicted by Rwandan authorities in 2014, is accused of involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the mass killings, according to a statement issued late Monday by Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA).
Teganya was a medical student at the National University of Rwanda when the genocide began and was working as an intern at the University Hospital in Butare, southern Rwanda.
Rwandan prosecutors did not provide further details about the specific allegations against him or indicate when his trial might begin.
However, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously accused Teganya of helping soldiers identify and capture ethnic Tutsi patients and refugees who had sought shelter inside the hospital.
According to ICE, Teganya led groups of soldiers through the medical facility to locate those hiding there. The victims were subsequently taken behind the hospital’s maternity ward and killed, the agency alleged.
In 2019, a US federal jury convicted Teganya of immigration fraud and perjury in connection with his application for immigration benefits in the United States.
His deportation follows years of efforts by Rwandan authorities to prosecute individuals accused of involvement in the genocide, including suspects who fled abroad following the violence.
The 1994 genocide claimed the lives of an estimated 800,000 people, predominantly ethnic Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, during approximately 100 days of mass killings.
Rwanda has continued to pursue genocide suspects living overseas, with several countries cooperating in extradition, deportation and criminal proceedings related to the atrocities.
Teganya’s return places him under Rwandan jurisdiction, where he is expected to face prosecution over the allegations dating back more than three decades.
