A 62-year-old man who had been on the run for about seven years has been arrested over charges of concealing (degrading) evidence related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, according to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB). ALSO READ: Public warned against concealing information on Genocide remains as 2,500 victims are interred Herminigirde Safari, according to RIB, fled the country in 2018 after it was discovered that human remains of genocide victims were buried beneath his properties. Safari was apprehended on March 19, 2025, at Kayonza Bus Park upon his return from a neighbouring country where he had been hiding. He is currently detained at RIB's Rusororo station and his case was forwarded to the prosecution on April 1, 2025, RIB spokesperson Thierry Murangira told The New Times. ALSO READ: Concealing genocide victims should not be a family enterprise He fled Rwanda in 2018 after it was discovered that human remains of genocide victims were buried beneath his properties. He has now been arrested and will face justice. Safari, who lived in Kabuga, Gasabo District, during the genocide, allegedly had a roadblock set up near his residence where many Tutsi were killed. Investigations conducted in 2018 revealed that mass graves were located on his land in Kabeza Village, Kabuga 1 Cell, Rusororo Sector, Gasabo District, as well as in other areas in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District, added Murangira. ALSO READ: RIB confirms arrest of MP-elect accused of genocide “Many of the remains found beneath his houses and farmland had been burned, making it difficult to determine the exact number of victims. After learning about the discoveries, Safari fled the country.” Before his escape, he had been convicted by a Gacaca court in 2004 and sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the genocide. However, on appeal, his sentence was reduced to five years, and he was released in 2008. Authorities later prosecuted individuals who were aware of these hidden mass graves but failed to report them. Among those convicted in 2019 by the Gasabo Intermediate Court were Jean-Népomuscène Mucyo, Michel Buturutsemwabo, Jean-Népomuscène Habyarimana, Augustin Karekezi, and Jean-Népomuscène Twakizuru. They were each sentenced to five years in prison and fined Rwf100,000 for concealing or destroying genocide-related evidence. RIB reiterated its commitment to ensuring that justice prevails for genocide victims. We urge the public to report any known locations of genocide victims' remains to allow for dignified burials. It is unacceptable that some people still conceal such critical information 31 years after the Genocide. Doing so is not only morally wrong but also punishable by law, Murangira emphasised. Anyone who deliberately conceals, destroys, eliminates, or degrades evidence related to genocide faces seven to nine years in prison and a fine of between Rwf500,000 and Rwf1 million, upon conviction, as per the 2018 Law on genocide ideology and related crimes.
