French court orders fresh probe into Agathe Habyarimana's genocide case
The Paris Court of Appeal has ordered the resumption of investigations into Agathe Kanziga-Habyarimana, overturning a previous attempts to dismiss inquiry into her role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The court on Wednesday, May 6, annulled a non-suit decision issued in August 2025, ruling that investigations into allegations against the former Rwandan First Lady over complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity must continue.
The ruling revives a judicial process that has stretched for nearly two decades against the 83-year-old widow of President Juvenal Habyarimana, who has lived in France for years despite repeated calls for prosecution or extradition to Rwanda.
The case stems from a complaint filed in 2007 by rights groups, including Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), which accuses Kanziga of involvement in planning and enabling the Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed over one million lives.
Reacting to the decision, Richard Gisagara, a Rwandan lawyer based in France, described the ruling as “good news.”
“The Indictment Chamber overturned the judge’s decision that had chosen to end the investigation without sending her to trial. The chamber has ordered the resumption of the investigation,” Gisagara, who has handled Genocide cases for years, wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
The case has long been viewed as one of the most significant genocide-related proceedings in France due to Kanziga’s alleged links to the Akazu, an inner circle of Hutu extremists accused of playing a central role in planning and executing the Genocide.
For years, genocide survivors and advocacy groups have criticized delays in the French judicial process, arguing that time is running out as key suspects age.
France rejected Rwanda’s extradition request for Kanziga in 2011, but rights groups have continued pressing for her trial by French judiciary.
The renewed investigation is expected to revisit evidence and submissions from both prosecutors and civil parties.
