Arrest in Hesse: Federal Prosecutor's Office has suspected accomplice of the Rwandan genocide arrested

The charges against the detainee

As the Federal Prosecutor's Office further announced, the man is "strongly suspected of being an accomplice to the crime of genocide and murder in 25 cases." In addition, he is alleged to have previously used his authority to "incite the destruction of Tutsis in his community." He is also said to have commissioned corresponding death lists. In one case, he is alleged to have personally participated in the murder of a man "by cutting him in the chest with a knife."

The now-arrested Innocent S. was at that time assistant to the mayor of Kayove, a commune in northwestern Rwanda in the prefecture of Gisenyi. The accused holds both German and Rwandan citizenship. The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses him of having ordered the murder of 25 Tutsis. The arrest was carried out by officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office in the Main-Kinzig district.

Background: The Kiziguro church massacre and the role of Rwanda

This case is not the first of its kind in the German justice system. In December 2015, the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court sentenced a man to life imprisonment for his participation in the genocide in Rwanda and found the particular severity of his guilt. He had been held responsible as an accomplice for the Kiziguro church massacre, in which at least 400 members of the Tutsi ethnic group were killed in April 1994. The convicted man had jointly ordered and commanded the killings together with other Rwandan authorities.

The genocide in Rwanda is one of the most serious crimes of recent history. From early April to early July 1994, widespread killings of members of the Tutsi minority by the Hutu majority took place in Rwanda. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people died. Moderate Hutus were also among the victims.

The dimension of the genocide and the failure of the international community

The genocide was orchestrated by persons belonging, among others, to the then government apparatus, the army, the national police, and the administration in Rwanda. In the weeks of violence, targeted killings, massacres, and systematic persecution were the order of the day. The genocide in Rwanda is today also regarded as a failure of the international community, which reacted late and initially hesitantly.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe is responsible for the prosecution of genocide and crimes against humanity in Germany. The arrest now carried out in Hesse underscores the fact that German investigative authorities, more than 30 years after the crimes, still follow up on leads regarding those involved and execute existing arrest warrants.

Investigations by the Federal Prosecutor's Office

The majority of those killed in the genocide were members of the Tutsi ethnic group. The Federal Prosecutor's Office specifically accuses Innocent S. of having ordered the killing of 25 Tutsis. Whether and to what extent he was also personally involved in killings is the subject of ongoing investigations. Following his appearance before the Federal Court of Justice, a decision on pretrial detention will be made.

The arrest casts a spotlight on the question of the criminal prosecution of genocide crimes in Germany. While proceedings against suspected perpetrators continue to be conducted internationally, human rights organizations point to the importance of consistent investigations as a signal to victims and their relatives. The Federal Prosecutor's Office generally does not comment on the status of investigations in ongoing proceedings.