A 75-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Rwandan court after being found guilty of aiding genocide during the 1994 atrocities, state-backed media reported. Venant Rutunga, who was extradited from the Netherlands to Rwanda in 2021, faced charges related to his involvement in directing massacres over 25 years ago.
As the regional director of ISAR, an agricultural research institute, Rutunga was accused of bringing police officers to the facility to target Tutsi employees and those seeking refuge there, according to the prosecution.
The High Court Chamber of International Crimes sentenced Rutunga to 20 years in prison, stating that he was guilty of being an accomplice to the genocide against the Tutsi, as reported by the New Times, a state-affiliated outlet.
Initially, Venant Rutunga faced three charges: genocide, complicity in genocide, and complicity in extermination as a crime against humanity. However, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Rutunga had personally taken part in the killings or supplied weapons.
Despite prosecutors seeking a life sentence, the court’s decision resulted in a 20-year term. Rutunga, who had pleaded not guilty, argued that he had summoned the police officers to secure the facility, a move he claimed was authorised by ISAR’s board of directors.
During the sentencing, Rutunga remained expressionless, though he whispered to his lawyers. His lawyer, Sophonie Sebaziga, later informed local media that she would meet with her client in prison to discuss the possibility of an appeal.
Rutunga was apprehended by Dutch authorities in 2019 following an arrest warrant issued by Rwanda. The 1994 genocide saw approximately 800,000 people, predominantly Tutsis, brutally murdered in a 100-day campaign of violence, primarily carried out by Hutu forces.