Life Sentence in The Hague
A Dutch court on Friday sentenced a 66-year-old Rwandan-born Dutch national to life imprisonment for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The Hague District Court found the man, identified only as Eugene N., guilty of war crimes and genocide.
The court determined that N. had taken part in attacks on homes in Tutsi communities and had thrown a grenade into a crowd of Tutsis sheltering in a football stadium in Mbazi, southern Rwanda. The violence occurred in April 1994, when around 3,000 Tutsis were massacred, according to prosecutors, who said N. was "personally involved" in the killings.
During the stadium attack, the judge said, N. prevented Tutsis from escaping and threw a grenade into the crowd. The court also found he was involved in earlier attacks when houses were looted and set on fire.
Court's Rationale
"The conduct of the defendant establishes a significant lack of respect for human dignity and for human life," read a statement from the court issued after the conviction. "Only a lifelong prison sentence does justice to the immense suffering that has been inflicted on the victims and the bereaved families."
The presiding judge said N.'s actions were committed with "genocidal intent." The court further noted that N. had held a position of responsibility in Mbazi and was "held in high regard," which made his crimes more serious because he "must have been aware of his role" in the events. However, the court acquitted N. of the separate charge of incitement to genocide.
Defense Response
N. denied the charges, claiming he himself had been a victim who had lost dozens of his own relatives in "those horrific events." His lawyers argued that he did "everything to prevent the genocide" and called for an acquittal. One defense lawyer described N. as "a broken man," saying the case had torn his scars open again. Defense lawyers told the Dutch ANP news agency they will "almost certainly appeal" the verdict.
Background and Investigation
The genocide in Rwanda in 1994 resulted in more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus being killed. N. fled to the Netherlands in 1998 and obtained Dutch citizenship. Dutch authorities were unable to extradite him when Rwandan prosecutors issued an international warrant in 2014. Dutch prosecutors opened their own investigation in 2020, interviewed dozens of witnesses, and arrested N. in 2024.
Separately, last month German prosecutors announced the arrest of a man suspected of being an accomplice in the Rwandan genocide.