The appeal trial of Claude Muhayimana, a Franco-Rwandan man convicted for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, opened on Tuesday at the Paris Court of Assize.
Muhayimana was found guilty in 2021 of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. A former driver, he is accused of transporting Hutu militiamen to massacre sites where thousands of Tutsis were killed.
The 1994 genocide left at least 800,000 people dead, the vast majority from the Tutsi community, who were systematically massacred by Hutu militias.
The court said some witnesses have travelled from Kigali to testify, while others withdrew due to security concerns.
Prosecutors argue that Muhayimana was an “indispensable cog” in the machinery of genocide, alleging he knowingly transported armed fighters as they chanted calls to exterminate Tutsis and brandished machetes.
The defence disputes these claims, saying Muhayimana was not present during certain massacres and acted under coercion, arguing he drove the militiamen to protect his own life.
Now 65, Muhayimana—born to a Tutsi mother and a Hutu father—faces a possible life sentence. The appeal proceedings are expected to continue until the end of February.
