Paris: Munyemana Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison Appeals to the Court of Cassation

Paris, France - Dr. Sosthène Munyemana, a Rwandan gynecologist convicted in France for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has appealed his 24-year prison sentence to the French Court of Cassation, seeking a new trial. The appeal, officially filed and served to the parties on November 4, was confirmed by lawyer Me Richard Gisagara, who represents the plaintiffs.

Dr. Munyemana was found guilty by the Paris Criminal Court in December 2023 of participating in genocide in Butare, particularly in the Tumba sector. His conviction and sentence were upheld by the Appeals Chamber on October 23, 2025. A separate compensation trial is set to begin on June 8, 2026.

The Court of Cassation, France’s highest judicial authority, does not retry cases on their facts but examines whether the law was properly applied. If procedural or legal errors are found, it can order a retrial before a different court.

“The appeal was filed and the notice served today,” Me Gisagara told reporters, confirming that the process is now in the hands of the Court of Cassation.

A Doctor Accused of Complicity in Genocide

Before and during the genocide, Dr. Munyemana worked as a gynecologist at Butare Hospital and taught at the former National University of Rwanda. He was a prominent member of the MDR party, serving as vice president of its intellectuals’ association (Cercle des Intellectuels) in Butare, and maintained close ties with figures such as Jean Kambanda, the former Prime Minister of the genocidal “Abatabazi” government.

The court found that Munyemana used his local influence to support the interim government that orchestrated the genocide. On April 16, 1994, he and other intellectuals in Butare signed a declaration endorsing the transitional government - fully aware, the court said, that mass killings of Tutsi had already begun nine days earlier.

“It is clear that the accused willingly supported, since April 16, 1994, the transitional government that planned and implemented the extermination of Tutsi,” the court wrote in its October 27, 2025 judgment.

Evidence presented in court showed that Dr. Munyemana attended an April 17, 1994 meeting at the Tumba Sector office, where local leaders decided to organize patrols and set up roadblocks. He was appointed to the security committee that oversaw these operations - measures later used to track, arrest, and execute Tutsi civilians.

Between April 23 and May 19, 1994, Munyemana reportedly held the keys to the Tumba Sector office, where dozens of Tutsi were detained under his supervision. Witnesses testified that many were later taken away and killed by the Interahamwe militia.

The court concluded that Munyemana knowingly facilitated their capture and imprisonment, contributing directly to their deaths. “He was fully aware that Tutsi would be arrested at roadblocks and executed, yet he continued to participate,” the judgment stated.

Dr. Munyemana claimed he detained Tutsi to protect them from attackers, but judges dismissed this argument as implausible. They noted that detainees were confined in inhumane conditions - without food, water, or protection - and that he made no effort to check their fate after they were taken away.

The court also rejected his assertion that he was “apolitical,” finding instead that he was deeply involved in local and national political networks that supported the genocide.

The conviction of Dr. Munyemana, who lived in France for decades before his arrest, was one of several landmark cases tried under France’s universal jurisdiction over crimes against humanity. His appeal now places the final decision in the hands of the Court of Cassation - the last legal avenue available to challenge his conviction.

If the appeal is rejected, the 24-year sentence handed down for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi will remain final.