Convicted Genocide Offender Declines to Testify in Dr. Rwamucyo Appeal Trial

PARIS, June 26, 2026 - Dr. Sosthène Munyemana, who is serving a prison sentence in France after being convicted of genocide-related crimes, has refused to testify in the appeal trial of Dr. Eugène Rwamucyo before the Paris Court of Appeal.

Munyemana had also declined to testify during Rwamucyo's initial trial in late 2024, arguing that both men were accused of crimes committed in the same area of Butare during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Following the conclusion of his own appeal case in 2025, in which his 24-year prison sentence was upheld, French prosecutors again invited Munyemana to testify in the Rwamucyo proceedings.

Representatives of civil parties said prosecutors requested that Munyemana appear before the court to formally state his position after he declined the invitation.

Appearing before the court on June 24, the 70-year-old reiterated that he would not testify.

"I want to say first of all that I refuse to testify. I will not take the oath, and I do not wish to testify," he told the court.

Neither the prosecution nor lawyers representing victims challenged his decision during the hearing. However, one of Dr. Rwamucyo's defense lawyers, Me Siari Michèle, argued that Munyemana's refusal to testify was problematic for the proceedings.

Dr. Rwamucyo, 67, formerly headed the Center for University Public Health (CUSP) in Butare. He is accused of participating in meetings that allegedly planned the killing of Tutsis during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, overseeing the burial of victims, and ordering attacks on wounded survivors.