75-year-old man jailed for 20 years for genocide in Rwanda
A 75-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Rwanda after being found guilty of genocide.
Reports say, Rwanda has found a 75-year-old man guilty of participating in the 1994 genocide, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
Venant Rutunga was extradited from the Netherlands to Rwanda in 2021, where he was brought to court to answer accusations of directing the Rwandan genocide.
The prosecutor said witnesses implicated Rutunga in bringing police officers to the Institute of Agricultural Research (ISAR), where he was the regional director, to send Tutsi workers and those who sought refuge there to be killed.
The International Criminal Court Division sentenced "Venant Rutunga" to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi," according to the state-backed New Times.
Initially, the defendant faced three charges: genocide, participation in genocide, and participation in extermination as a crime against humanity.
However, the three-judge panel ruled that there was insufficient evidence to show that Rutunga personally participated in the killings or provided weapons. Prosecutors had asked for a life sentence.
Rutunga, who denied the charges against him, claimed that he called the police officers to protect the security of the institution, a decision he said was approved by the ISAR board of directors.
