Kesi ya rufaa ya raia wa ufaransa mwenye asili ya Rwanda anayekabiliwa na tuhuma za mauaji ya kimbari imefunguliwa Jumanne katika Mahakama ya Assize ya Paris.
Claude Muhayimana alipatikana na hatia mwaka 2021 kwa kosa la kushiriki katika mauaji ya kimbari na uhalifu dhidi ya binadamu, na kuhukumiwa kifungo cha miaka 14 jela.
Muhayimana, aliyekuwa dereva, anatuhumiwa kuwasafirisha wanamgambo wa Kihutu kwenda maeneo ya mauaji ambako maelfu ya Watutsi waliuawa.
Mauaji ya kimbari ya mwaka 1994 yalisababisha vifo vya takribani watu 800,000, wengi wao wakiwa jamii ya Watutsi, waliouawa na wanamgambo wa Kihutu.
Mahakama imesema baadhi ya mashahidi wamewasili kutoka Kigali, lakini wengine wamesitisha kuhudhuria kutokana na hofu ya usalama.
Upande wa mashtaka unasema Muhayimana alikuwa “kiungo muhimu” katika mashine ya mauaji ya kimbari na alitenda akiwa na ufahamu kamili wa aliyokuwa akifanya. Mashahidi wamedai aliwasafirisha wapiganaji waliokuwa wakipiga kelele za “tuwamalize” huku wakionyesha mapanga.
Hata hivyo, upande wa utetezi unasema hakuwapo katika baadhi ya maeneo ya mauaji wakati yalipotokea. Pia amedai alilazimishwa kufanya kazi hiyo ili kuokoa maisha yake mwenyewe.
Mtu huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 65, mzaliwa wa mama Mtutsi na baba Mhutu, anakabiliwa na adhabu ya kifungo cha maisha jela.
Kesi hiyo inatarajiwa kuendelea hadi mwishoni mwa mwezi Februari, 2026
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The appeal trial of an accused Franco-Rwandan genocidaire opened at the Paris Court of Assize on Tuesday.
Claude Muhayimana was convicted of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity at his first trial in 2021. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The former driver is accused of transporting Hutu militiamen to massacre sites where thousands of Tutsis were killed.
The 1994 genocide claimed the lives of at least 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi community, who were massacred by the Hutu militia.
Some witnesses have come from Kigali, but others have cancelled their attendance due to security concerns, the court said.
The prosecution says Muhayimana was an "indispensable cog" in the genocide machine who acted with full knowledge of the facts. Witnesses say he transported fighters as they chanted "Let’s exterminate them" and brandished machetes.
But the defence says he wasn’t present at the time of certain massacres. He’s also pleaded coercion, saying he was forced to drive the fighters in order to save his own life.
The 65-year-old son of a Tutsi mother and Hutu father faces life imprisonment.
The trial is expected to run until the end of February.
Source: African news
Claude Muhayimana alipatikana na hatia mwaka 2021 kwa kosa la kushiriki katika mauaji ya kimbari na uhalifu dhidi ya binadamu, na kuhukumiwa kifungo cha miaka 14 jela.
Muhayimana, aliyekuwa dereva, anatuhumiwa kuwasafirisha wanamgambo wa Kihutu kwenda maeneo ya mauaji ambako maelfu ya Watutsi waliuawa.
Mauaji ya kimbari ya mwaka 1994 yalisababisha vifo vya takribani watu 800,000, wengi wao wakiwa jamii ya Watutsi, waliouawa na wanamgambo wa Kihutu.
Mahakama imesema baadhi ya mashahidi wamewasili kutoka Kigali, lakini wengine wamesitisha kuhudhuria kutokana na hofu ya usalama.
Upande wa mashtaka unasema Muhayimana alikuwa “kiungo muhimu” katika mashine ya mauaji ya kimbari na alitenda akiwa na ufahamu kamili wa aliyokuwa akifanya. Mashahidi wamedai aliwasafirisha wapiganaji waliokuwa wakipiga kelele za “tuwamalize” huku wakionyesha mapanga.
Hata hivyo, upande wa utetezi unasema hakuwapo katika baadhi ya maeneo ya mauaji wakati yalipotokea. Pia amedai alilazimishwa kufanya kazi hiyo ili kuokoa maisha yake mwenyewe.
Mtu huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 65, mzaliwa wa mama Mtutsi na baba Mhutu, anakabiliwa na adhabu ya kifungo cha maisha jela.
Kesi hiyo inatarajiwa kuendelea hadi mwishoni mwa mwezi Februari, 2026
The appeal trial of an accused Franco-Rwandan genocidaire opened at the Paris Court of Assize on Tuesday.
Claude Muhayimana was convicted of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity at his first trial in 2021. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The former driver is accused of transporting Hutu militiamen to massacre sites where thousands of Tutsis were killed.
The 1994 genocide claimed the lives of at least 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi community, who were massacred by the Hutu militia.
Some witnesses have come from Kigali, but others have cancelled their attendance due to security concerns, the court said.
The prosecution says Muhayimana was an "indispensable cog" in the genocide machine who acted with full knowledge of the facts. Witnesses say he transported fighters as they chanted "Let’s exterminate them" and brandished machetes.
But the defence says he wasn’t present at the time of certain massacres. He’s also pleaded coercion, saying he was forced to drive the fighters in order to save his own life.
The 65-year-old son of a Tutsi mother and Hutu father faces life imprisonment.
The trial is expected to run until the end of February.
Source: African news