Brussels – A Belgian court has for the first time found a Rwandan man guilty of acts of genocide in relation to the 1994 conflict in the central African country, the Belga news agency reports.
Fabien Neretse was accused of acts of genocide and war crimes for having participated in the murder of several people – of whom 13 have been identified – including a Belgian woman, her husband, and her daughter.
The sister of the Belgian woman had taken the issue to court.
The events took place during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, a former Belgian colony, in which ethnic Hutus attacked members of the Tutsi minority and moderate Hutus.
An estimated 800,000 people were killed during a 100-day period.
The court found Neretse guilty of being involved in nine murders in the capital Kigali and three attempted murders, as well as at least two murders in the north-western region of Mataba, Belga reported.
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Specifically, he is accused of having denounced several Tutsis in his neighbourhood who were subsequently killed by militia.
The jury noted that Neretse had been viewed as a benefactor in Mataba, where he had built a school and a health centre.
During the genocide, watchmen at the school participated in attacks in the region, the court heard.
No sentence has been handed down yet. The issue was being discussed by the court on Friday. (dpa/NAN)
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