Paris, 6 May 2026. The investigation was opened consequent to a complaint lodged in 2008 by several organisations, including the FIDH, the NGO Survie and the Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR). The case concerns the alleged role played by Agathe Habyarimana, widow of the former President of Rwanda, Juvénal Habyarimana, in the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.
The dismissal of the case ended the nearly two-decades-long investigation, despite the large amount of evidence submitted to the court and the appeals lodged by the victims who are civil parties and the office of the prosecutor.
"By overturning the decision, the Paris Court of Appeal reaffirms the need to continue investigations in order to determine the full extent of Agathe Habyarimana’s alleged role in the crimes committed during the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda," stated Emmanuel Daoud and Patrick Baudouin, lawyers for the FIDH.
"This case exemplifies the persistent challenges faced by the French justice system when addressing the most serious international crimes. Victims have a right to the truth; the passage of time must not be allowed to stand in the way of justice," concluded Alexis Deswaef, President of the FIDH.