Appeal trial of accused Franco-Rwandan genocidaire opens in Paris

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.