A Rwandan court has convicted a 75-year-old man, Venant Rutunga, of being an accomplice in the 1994 genocide, sentencing him to 20 years in prison, state media reported on Thursday.
Rutunga was extradited from the Netherlands to Rwanda in 2021 to face trial for his alleged involvement in the genocide.
Prosecutors claimed Rutunga was responsible for directing massacres by bringing police officers to the ISAR agricultural research institute, where he was a regional director.
Witnesses testified that Rutunga had directed police to the institute to murder Tutsi employees and refugees seeking protection there.
The High Court Chamber of International Crimes sentenced Rutunga to 20 years for his role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, according to the New Times.
The court found Rutunga guilty of complicity in genocide, but the three-judge panel ruled there was insufficient evidence of his direct participation in the murders or in providing weapons.
Prosecutors had initially sought a life sentence for Rutunga, who pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Rutunga claimed he had summoned the officers for security purposes, with approval from ISAR’s board of directors.
As the sentence was delivered, Rutunga displayed no visible emotion but whispered to his lawyers.
Sophonie Sebaziga, Rutunga’s lawyer, stated she would visit him in prison to discuss potential appeal options.
Rutunga was detained by Dutch authorities in 2019 following an arrest warrant issued by Rwanda.
The 1994 genocide resulted in the deaths of approximately 800,000 Tutsi individuals, primarily at the hands of Hutu forces.
