Appeal Trial of Claude Muhayimana Convicted of Genocide Begins

France February 3, 2026 -- The Appeals Chamber of the Court of Cassation in France is set to hear the appeal of Claude Muhayimana, who is contesting his 14-year prison sentence for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. On February 2, 2026, the list of participants in the appeal proceedings was updated. On February 3, 2026, the Inyangamugayo Bench expected to hear the case is to be confirmed, along with a list of at least 50 witnesses and experts, about 20 of whom will testify in Kigali. The defendant is also expected to be questioned, along with the investigator who assessed his background, behavior, and lifestyle. On November 19, 2025, the President of the Paris Criminal Court met with lawyers to prepare the appeal, reviewing the list of witnesses. Muhayimana is seeking to be cleared of the charges and declared innocent of crimes for which he was convicted nearly four years ago. Born in 1961 in the former Kibuye Prefecture, western Rwanda, Muhayimana was a guest house driver during the genocide. He later fled to France, where he obtained citizenship in 2010 and resides in Rouen. He was arrested on April 9, 2014, following a complaint by the CPCR, an organization pursuing genocide suspects. He was released under house arrest on April 10, 2015, while under investigation. His trial, initially scheduled for September 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At his trial, which began on November 22, 2021, Muhayimana was accused of leading Interahamwe militias involved in killings of Tutsi in Kibuye between April and July 1994. Prosecutors also alleged his involvement in massacres at the Kibuye Parish Church on April 17, 1994, at Gatwaro Stadium, and at Home St Jean the following day. Defended by Me Philippe Meilhac and Françoise Marthe, Muhayimana pleaded not guilty, claiming he was a member of the RNC, an opposition group to the Rwandan government. On December 16, 2021, the court found him guilty of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity, sentencing him to 14 years in prison, confirming that he had led Interahamwe members. However, the court did not find that he directly participated in the Kibuye town massacre, accepting his claim that he was transporting the body of a gendarme, Mwafrika, from Bisesero to Ruhengeri at the time. The IBUKA organization, which represents survivors of the genocide, said the sentence was lenient compared to the crimes committed.