Trial begins against Ede resident accused of in Rwanda genocide; Claims innocence
Wednesday marks the start of the trial against Eugene N. in the District Court of The Hague on his suspected involvement in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. The 66-year-old home care worker residing in Ede is accused of involvement in the murder of 3,000 people in a stadium that year, as well as looting and destroying the homes of Tutsi people. At the beginning of the trial, he denied all charges, saying, "I was one of the people being sought myself and lost many family members in those horrific events."
N. lived and worked in Ede for many years before his arrest in February 2024. According to De Gelderlander, he has always maintained that he is a victim, not a perpetrator, in the Rwanda genocide.
During the Rwandan genocide, around 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu people were killed in a period of three months. The case against N. revolves around events in the municipality of Mbazi in the prefecture of Butare, where Human Rights Watch estimates 100,000 people were killed between April and July 1994.
In 2014, Rwanda issued an international arrest warrant against N., accusing him of committing genocide and crimes against humanity, and asking for his extradition. Because he has Dutch citizenship, the Netherlands cannot extradite him to Rwanda. The Dutch authorities, therefore, launched their own investigation into the man.
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), N. “participated as an accomplice” in the looting and destruction of Tutsi homes in this area. “Shortly thereafter, approximately 3,000 Tutsis who had gathered at the Mbazi stadium were massacred. The OM accuses the defendant of incitement to genocide and committing genocide of the Tutsis at the stadium.”
N. was a local official who allegedly threw a hand grenade into the crowd. The OM’s International Crimes Team spoke to 24 witnesses who testified about N.’s actions during the genocide in 1994, having traveled several times to the country. In a previous hearing against the man, the prosecutor stressed that the Dutch OM selected these witnesses and questioned them about N. directly.
N. believes those witnesses' memories are tainted decades later, and that they were influenced to make false claims, arguing that Rwanda was out to prosecute the Ede man because he is politically active in the opposition. "He actually did everything to prevent the genocide. Unfortunately, that did not succeed," N.'s attorneys said. He wanted to do whatever was possible to "protect people," the defense continued, "but his influence was too limited."
“The idea that 24 witnesses would all be lying is totally unbelievable,” the OM previously stated. This was a complicated investigation for the Dutch authorities. A case against another Rwandan was overturned over similar defense claims..
ANP reported that the witnesses involved in the investigation are able to follow the trial from the Rwandan capital of Kigali via a livestream. Several of them will be able to address the court during the trial next week. Nine witnesses have also filed claims for compensation.
The court in The Hague set aside eight days for this trial. The verdict is expected at the end of the summer.
