The French government has come under fire for being a haven for Rwandan genocide suspects after a controversial court ruling earlier this week.
A French court decided to grant residence to Agathe Habyarimana (also known as Agathe Kanziga), widow of former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, who is wanted in Rwanda under charges of genocide.
The decision by the Versailles Court of Appeal followed a long legal battle that saw Kanziga arrested by French authorities and extradition requests by the Rwandan government turned down.
Sharon Courtoux cofounder of Survie said,
"For France to be home to so many Génocidaires, it is primarily because the French government at the time [1994] had strong ties with the Habyarimana regime. Many former Rwandan officials studied in France and kept in touch. And then, there are the links established by the Catholic Church. Father (Wenceslas) Munyeshyaka was picked up in the Congo in 1994, during a visit there by French bishops."
"Some Genocide suspects were directly "extradited" from Congo by French soldiers and transported to an African country first, from where they could then head to France. And then there are a large number of soldiers who are there too. Their presence, perhaps, may be more political than the others."
Head of a France-based rights group, Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR) Alain Gauthier, also commented,
"The recent injunction by French courts will surprise only those who do not know the complacency demonstrated by some judges for many years when it comes to the issue of those suspected of participating in the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda."
