A US court has sentenced a Rwandan man to prison for eight years after it was discovered he had lied about his role in the 1994 genocide, in order to seek asylum.
Jean Leonard Teganya committed "the most serious form of immigration fraud" by "lying about his status as a war criminal to win asylum," said US Attorney Andrew E Lelling, after it was revealed he reportedly participated in at least seven murders and five rapes during the genocide. Teganya denies his involvement in the genocide, in which 800,000 people were killed.
He was found guilty in April of immigration fraud and perjury, however presiding Judge F Dennis Saylor IV said he struggled with the sentencing decision.
“The basic question is: Do I sentence him as a liar or do I sentence him as a murder, or a rapist, or genocide participant?” Saylor asked.
