Kathmandu— A Dutch court sentenced a Rwandan man, identified only as Eugene N., to life in prison on Friday for his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The Hague district court convicted him of war crimes and genocide stemming from his participation in attacks targeting Tutsi communities, including a massacre at a stadium where an estimated 3,000 people were killed. Prosecutors presented evidence spanning four years and over thirty witnesses to build their case against N., who had fled Rwanda and later obtained Dutch citizenship.

Details Of The Atrocity

The court found that Eugene N. actively participated in the ransacking and burning of homes in predominantly Tutsi communities before joining a mob that attacked approximately 3,000 Tutsis seeking shelter at a stadium in Mbazi in April 1994. He directed Hutu attackers to prevent anyone from escaping and threw a grenade into the crowd, according to the court’s findings. Those who survived the initial assault were subsequently beaten and killed with machetes.

Legal Proceedings And Defense

Eugene N., believed to be either 66 or 67 years old, initially fled the Netherlands in 1998 but later became a Dutch citizen, shielding him from extradition requests made by Rwanda in 2014. Prosecutors initiated their case in 2020, culminating in his arrest in 2024 after questioning more than thirty witnesses. The defense argued that N. attempted to halt the violence and had also lost family members during the genocide, describing him as “a broken man.”

Prosecution’s Closing Argument

Prosecutors strongly refuted the defense's claims, arguing for the severity of the crimes committed by Eugene N. In their closing statement, they posed a rhetorical question: “If the horrific crimes of the suspect … do not deserve a life sentence, then what does?” The court agreed with the prosecution’s assessment, citing N.’s actions as demonstrating a “significant lack of respect for human dignity and for human life.”

The sentencing marks another instance of European courts pursuing individuals involved in the Rwandan genocide under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Dutch courts have previously convicted other suspects and, in some cases, extradited them to Rwanda.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.