Genocide of the Tutsi: charges against Callixte Mbarushimana dropped
French justice has decided to drop charges against Callixte Mbarushimana, a 61-year-old former United Nations employee and Hutu rebel leader. He was accused of crimes against humanity linked to the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. This information was confirmed on Sunday by a source close to the case, specifying that the evidence against him was considered insufficient.
According to an order dated October 1, to which AFP had access, an investigating judge specializing in crimes against humanity at the Paris judicial court dismissed the case, complying with the recommendations of the prosecution, after having examined all the evidence against and against him.
Mbarushimana, who has been under investigation since 2010 for crimes against humanity and complicity, has always maintained his innocence, as recalled by his lawyer, Me Laurence Garapin, contacted by AFP. She stressed that no evidence had established his guilt or participation in criminal acts, welcoming an investigation “long and complete” which included confrontations and documents from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) incorporated into the proceedings.
For his part, Me Simon Foreman, lawyer for the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR), told AFP that he had appealed this decision to dismiss the case, considering that the investigation was incomplete. According to him, certain witnesses were not heard, and information from an internal United Nations investigation report was not verified.
Furthermore, he added that the investigations had been suspended since 2017, and criticized the decision as part of a desire to close old cases rather than seeking the truth about Mbarushimana’s responsibilities.