A Dutch court has sentenced a 66-year-old Dutch-Rwandan man to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.The man, identified only as Eugene N, was convicted of genocide and war crimes after the court found that he had acted with “genocidal intent”.
Role in Stadium Massacre The court in The Hague heard that Eugene N held a position of authority in the southern Rwandan community of Mbazi during the genocide, where he reportedly had influence over about 1,000 people. Among the most serious allegations against him was his role in an attack on Tutsis who had sought refuge inside a football stadium. According to the court, N instructed Hutu attackers not to allow the Tutsis to escape.
Those trapped inside the stadium were attacked with stones, guns and hand grenades. Survivors were allegedly later killed with clubs and machetes. The court also said N had witnessed the looting and burning of homes before the stadium massacre. Because of his position and influence in the community, judges concluded that he was aware of the significance of his actions and had committed multiple serious crimes.
“Only a lifelong prison sentence does justice to the immense suffering that has been inflicted on the victims and the bereaved families,” the court said. Justice Decades After the Genocide The Rwandan genocide lasted approximately 100 days in 1994 and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people, predominantly ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus who were targeted by Hutu extremists.Rwanda requested Eugene N’s extradition in 2014.
However, because he had become a Dutch citizen, authorities in the Netherlands launched their own investigation instead. The Dutch investigation, formally opened in 2020, involved interviews with more than 30 witnesses. Eugene N was eventually arrested in 2024. He denied the allegations, claiming that he was also a victim of the violence and had lost family members during the genocide.
His lawyers argued that the case had reopened painful memories and described him as a “broken man”. They sought his acquittal on all charges.The court, however, acquitted him of the separate charge of incitement to genocide while finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes. His defence team has indicated that it will almost certainly appeal the conviction.
The verdict marks another effort to hold individuals accused of participating in Rwanda’s genocide accountable, more than three decades after the killings
