US Convicts Rwandan Man Who Hid Role in 1994 Genocide for Decades

A Rwandan man has been convicted in the United States for concealing his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which more than 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed.

A federal jury in Boston found Eric Nshimiye, 54, guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from his testimony in the 2019 immigration fraud trial of his former university classmate, Jean Leonard Teganya.

Prosecutors said Nshimiye fled Rwanda for Kenya in 1994 and was admitted to the US as a refugee the following year after concealing his role in the atrocities. Evidence presented at trial showed that while a student at the University of Rwanda in Butare, he took part in attacks on Tutsi people, including striking them on the head with a club.

He faces up to five years in prison for each of the four perjury counts and up to 10 years for obstruction of justice. He is due to be sentenced on January 26, 2027.

"For nearly three decades, this defendant concealed his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the heinous acts of violence he committed, including clubbing people to death," US Justice Department prosecutor Tysen Duva said.

Nshimiye's lawyer, Kurt Kerns, said they were disappointed with the verdict and would pursue "all avenues of relief," arguing during trial that the charges were based on "fabricated accusations" and that Nshimiye was not in Butare when the violence began.

Teganya was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2019 for immigration fraud after lying about his involvement in the genocide.