Rwanda genocide: Dutch court jails Eugene N. for life

A Dutch court sentenced Eugene N., a 66-year-old Rwandan-born Dutch national, to life in prison on August 28 for his role in the massacre of about 3,000 Tutsis during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

The District Court of The Hague convicted him of war crimes and the crime of genocide. The presiding judge said his actions were committed with “genocidal intent” and that only a life sentence did justice to the suffering inflicted on victims and bereaved families.

The case centred on killings at a football stadium in Mbazi, southern Rwanda, in April 1994, where Tutsis had sought refuge during the genocide. The court said Eugene N. prevented Tutsis from escaping the stadium and threw a grenade into the crowd. It also said he was involved in attacks before the stadium massacre, when houses were looted and set on fire.

The court acquitted him of incitement to genocide.

Prosecutors had urged a life sentence during hearings in June, saying Eugene N. was personally involved in the killings. He denied the charges, saying he was himself a victim who lost dozens of relatives during what he called “those horrific events”. His lawyers had sought acquittal on all counts and said he had done everything to prevent the genocide.

Local news agency ANP reported that the defence said it would almost certainly appeal.

The court said Eugene N. held a position of responsibility in Mbazi at the time, overseeing about 1,000 people, and had influence as a local authority.

Eugene N. fled to the Netherlands in 1998. Rwandan authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him in 2014, but Dutch law prevents his extradition because he has obtained Dutch nationality. Dutch prosecutors opened their own investigation in 2020, interviewed dozens of witnesses in Rwanda and arrested him in 2024.

The 1994 Rwanda genocide killed an estimated 800,000 people over three months. According to UN figures, most victims were part of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority. European courts have tried and convicted several dozen people involved in the genocide under universal jurisdiction, which allows courts to hear cases involving the most serious crimes even when they were committed abroad.