Rwanda Man Sentenced over 1994 Genocide Killings

A former Rwandan official has been found guilty by a Belgian court for his participation in the East African country’s 1994 genocide.

According to reports, 71-year-old Fabien Neretse – an agricultural engineer hailing from the Mataba sector – entered France from Rwanda in 1997, where he had refugee status and restarted his career.

However, Neretse was arrested in 2011 for his involvement in the genocide, which resulted in the killings of an estimated 800 000 people belonging to the Tutsi ethnic minority.

He was accused of ordering the murder of 11 identified civilians in Kigali, as well as two citizens in a rural area north of the capital, in April and July 1994, respectively.

Seen as a local kingpin in Mataba, Neretse was also accused of appearing at public rallies to urge fellow members of the Hutu ethnic group to slaughter members of the Tutsi community.

Appearing in court in Brussels on Thursday, 19 December, Neretse was sentenced by presiding judge, Sophie Leclercq, to 25 years in prison.