Beatrice Munyenyezi, a woman deported from the United States in 2021, was given a life imprisonment sentence by Huye Intermediate Court for her involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly in the former Butare prefecture, now Huye district. On April 12, the court convicted Munyenyezi on four charges: murder as a genocide crime, complicity in genocide, incitement to commit genocide, and complicity in rape. However, she was cleared of the crime of planning genocide due to insufficient evidence. ALSO READ: Genocide suspect Munyenyezi deported from US The court found reasonable grounds to hold Munyenyezi accountable for her involvement in the crimes. The court said that she killed a nun as well as instructed Interahamwe to kill a person named Aimable. Additionally, she encouraged the Interahamwe to kill Tutsi individuals and played a significant role in facilitating rape at her mother-in-law Pauline Nyiramasuhuko's hotel. During the hearing in February, the prosecution had also sought a life sentence for Munyenyezi. In her defense, Munyenyezi and her legal team argued for acquittal and release. They emphasized her presence at her mother-in-law’s hotel with over 60 individuals during the genocide, arguing that if she committed the crimes, it should have been known. Munyenyezi also argued that she was pregnant at the time, further complicating her ability to engage in criminal activities. ALSO READ: Rwanda welcomes US court decision to uphold conviction for genocidaire Despite these arguments, the court upheld her conviction and imposed a life sentence, citing substantial evidence of her involvement in genocide-related crimes. Munyenyezi was deported by the US in 2021 and arrived in Rwanda on April 16 the same year following a 10-year sentence by a US court related to immigration fraud. During her conviction in 2013, the US court ruled that she lied about her role in the 1994 Genocide during the time she was processing her papers to allow her to stay in the United States. Munyenyezi also denied affiliation with any political party, despite her husband, Arsène Shalom Ntahobali's leadership role in the extremist Interahamwe militia. Besides her husband, Munyenyezi closely worked with her mother-in-law Pauline Nyiramasuhuko in the extermination of the Tutsi in Butare, current Huye district. The mother and son were convicted to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which was on appeal reduced to 47 years each, and are now serving their sentences.
