Rwanda genocide suspect faces Dutch trial

Prosecutors have accused the man, who has not been named publicly, of being "personally involved in the killing of Tutsis," around 800,000 of whom were murdered over a three-month period.

They allege he went on a "rampage of looting and destruction" against Tutsis in the southern Rwanda district of Mbazi.

"During this rampage, the homes of Tutsis were set on fire and destroyed, and their possessions were plundered," said prosecutors.

Shortly afterwards, an estimated 3,000 Tutsis who had fled to a stadium in Mbazi were killed.

The suspect faces charges of inciting and co-perpetrating genocide, as well as war crimes over the looting.

More than 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda between April and July 1994, according to UN figures, most of them from the Tutsi minority.

According to Dutch authorities, the suspect has long been in the crosshairs of Rwandan prosecutors, who issued an international arrest warrant for him in 2014.

However, the man has obtained Dutch nationality and cannot be extradited to Rwanda. He has lived in the Netherlands since 1998.

Dutch investigators have been looking into his case since 2020, interviewing dozens of witnesses including in Rwanda.

The trial at the district court of The Hague is set to last until June 29, with a verdict expected on August 28.

European courts have tried and convicted several dozen people involved in the Rwanda genocide under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows them to hear the most serious crimes even if committed abroad.