A US federal court in Boston has started hearing the case of Eric Nshimiye, a Rwandan-American accused of lying about his role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Prosecutors say he took part in killings and rape, while he denies the allegations.
01Summary
- 01Eric Nshimiye, 55, a US citizen and father of four, is on trial in Boston on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
- 02Prosecutors say he took part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, when more than 800,000 people were killed over about 100 days.
- 03The US Department of Homeland Security arrested Nshimiye at his home in Ohio in 2024 after alleging he lied in an interview about his time in Rwanda.
- 04They also say he lied during a 2019 Boston trial when he testified for a friend accused of genocide, and that he was involved in killing and rape in Butare.
- 05Defence lawyers say the case rests on unreliable eyewitness accounts and that Nshimiye was not previously implicated by tribunals or gacaca proceedings.
02Why it matters
The case could lead to a conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice, and prosecutors say it may also trigger a move to revoke his US citizenship. It is also a rare US trial over alleged involvement in the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
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