A Paris Court has upheld the life sentence handed down to Philippe Hategekimana Manier, an ex-Rwandan gendarme, following his conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity.
The Appeal Court of Paris upheld the life sentence given to Philippe Manier, a former Rwandan gendarme, who was retried for his involvement in the Tutsi genocide, after six and a half weeks of appeal proceedings.
Garnier (born Philippe Hategekimana in Rwanda) was found guilty on nearly all the charges brought against him.
His involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which an estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed by Hutu forces and their allies, was central to the trial.
This verdict is part of a broader effort in France to bring perpetrators of the genocide to justice.
The president of the court said he was "the zealous arm of the genocide" through his "determined but decisive action", adding that without him, “the facts would not have reached such a magnitude”.
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Satisfaction
Standing in the dock to hear the court's decision, Manier did not react to the announcement of the sentence.
The verdict handed down by the court is in line with the charges brought by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) on 13 December.
The President of the 'Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda' (CPCR), Alain Gauthier, told RFI after the hearing that the collective was "satisfied with this decision".
"We had been waiting for it. Personally, I had no doubts about the decision that would be taken. Mr Hategekimana had the same line of defence as at first instance, i.e. that he was not present at the time of the acts of which he was accused. And frankly, it was an impossible defence," he said.
Many massacres
Hategekimana, 67, became a naturalised French citizen in 2005 under the name Philippe Manier.
The former Rwandan gendarme has always denied any involvement in the genocide and has even claimed to have saved Tutsis.
In June this year, he was found guilty of participating in or encouraging the murder of dozens of Tutsis in the Butare prefecture in southern Rwanda in 1994.
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Nicknamed Biguma at the time of the events, the former chief warrant officer was also accused of participating in or encouraging the murder of the mayor of Ntyazo, who resisted the implementation of the genocide in his commune.
According to the prosecution, Hategekimana had also ordered and supervised the erection of several "barriers", some roadblocks "intended to control and kill Tutsi civilians".
The prosecution also accused him of having participated in several massacres by giving orders, or even by being directly involved in the field.
The former gendarme's lawyers have announced their intention to appeal to the French Court of Cassation.
(with AFP)
