Paris Court of Assize: Tutsi wives, the unsuccessful shelter for genocide suspects trying to dodge their involvement

Laurent Bucyibaruta who is appearing before the Court of Assize of Paris has tried to use his Tutsi wife as a shelter and excuse, that he could not have been involved in Genocide related crimes.

He says that, under no circumstances could he have stopped killings during the Genocide as his wife was also Tutsi.

The former Prefet of Gikongoro prefecture is being tried for his role to commit genocide, conspiracy to commit Genocide and other genocide related crimes.

Bucyibaruta is not the first Genocide suspect trying to shelter himself in his Tutsi wife’s umbrella as to deny his involvement in different massacres and genocide crimes before the same court.

Claude Muhayimana tabled the same excuse when he was appearing before this court last year on charges of complicity in genocide. He was later found guilty and handed a 14- year- jail sentence.

The same thing was presented as an excuse by Pascal Simbikangwa who appeared before this same court before them and said that because his mother was a Tutsi there was no way he should have participated in genocide against Tutsi he was accused of.

He was given a 25-year jail sentence for the crime he committed.

Later in the pleadings of the lawyers of the civil parties, they reminded the court that at the beginning of genocide, Bucyibaruta’s wife was in Kibungo ‘prefecture’ Far East of the country and that he was able to bring her back home in Gikongoro unhindered.

The lawyers said that the fact that Bucyibaruta managed to drive his wife from eastern part of the country to Western part through the City of Kigali explained how powerful he was and the failure to use the power to protect Tutsi if only he had the intention.

The same was said in Muhayimana’s trial, who claimed being threatened because of his Tutsi wife, but during genocide he was able to move everywhere in Kibuye and even Ruhengeri transporting the car with the militias on board, but still claims that he didn’t have the power to save any Tutsi.

Bucyibaruta has been tried by the Court of Assize of Paris since May 9, 2022, the trial that is expected to be ruled on July 12, 2022. In this trial, the prosecution asked for life imprisonment.