A former Rwandan gendarme, Philippe Hategekimana, 66, naturalized French under the name of Philippe Manier, was convicted on Wednesday of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Paris Assize Court. The court followed the prosecution’s submissions to the letter and found Mr. Manier guilty of “virtually all the charges” against him.
The former chief warrant officer of the gendarmerie of Nyanza (southern Rwanda) remained impassive at the announcement of the verdict while, outside the courtroom, Rwandans, civil parties to the trial, let their joy burst by singing and dancing.
Mr. Manier, who recognizes the reality of the genocide but denies any involvement in its implementation, was prosecuted for participation in a criminal association for the preparation of the crimes of genocide and other crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Roadblocks, “intended to control and assassinate Tutsi civilians”
He was accused of having participated in or encouraged the murder of dozens of Tutsi in the prefecture of Butare (southern Rwanda), including the burgomaster of Ntyazo who resisted the execution of the genocide in his commune. For the prosecution, he had notably ordered and supervised the erection of several “barriers”, roadblocks, “intended to control and assassinate Tutsi civilians”.
The prosecution also accused Mr. Manier of having participated, by giving orders, even by being directly involved on the ground, in three massacres: that of Nyabubare hill where 300 people were killed on April 23, 1994, that of , four days later, from the hill of Nyamure where thousands of Tutsi had taken refuge, and that of the Institute of Agronomic Sciences of Rwanda, where tens of thousands of victims were counted. For this last crime, the court recognized only the complicity of Mr. Manier but not his guilt as the author of this massacre.
