A French appellate court’s decision to reopen investigations into Agathe Kanziga-Habyarimana has revived hopes among survivors and rights groups that the former first lady could yet face justice for her alleged role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Exclusive: Why the Agathe Kanziga genocide dossier matters The ruling, issued by the investigating chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal on May 6, overturned an August 2025 decision by an investigating judge who had sought to close the nearly two-decade-old case, citing insufficient evidence. “What this means is that the file has not been closed. Investigations must continue,” said Richard Gisagara, a Rwandan lawyer based in France. The case against Kanziga dates back to 2007, when French rights group Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR) filed a complaint accusing her of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. ALSO READ: Kanziga should be in the dock — Genocide researcher For 18 years, the case has remained in the hands of French investigating magistrates tasked with determining whether enough evidence exists to send her to trial. Last year, the investigating judge concluded that threshold had not been met and moved to dismiss the file. However, France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office appealed, arguing that key investigative steps had not been carried out. “The court ruled that the prosecution was right and that further investigative actions must be undertaken,” he explained. ALSO READ: Habyarimana's role in planning, implementing 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi Among the prosecutors' key requests is an expansion of the investigation to include allegations relating to planning the Genocide against the Tutsi — an aspect not fully explored in the original inquiry. Prosecutors also want the scope of the investigation extended back to March 1, 1994. French judicial scrutiny has largely focused on the period between the April 6, 1994 plane crash that killed President Juvénal Habyarimana and the end of the genocide. ALSO READ: There is still hope that Akazu members will face justice According to Gisagara, the prosecution argues that examining events preceding the crash is critical, particularly given longstanding allegations linking the former First Lady to the Akazu, the powerful inner circle around the former regime accused of helping orchestrate the genocide that claimed the lives of more than one million Tutsi. The ruling also overturns the earlier judge’s controversial suggestion that Kanziga could be regarded as a victim of the events surrounding the downing of her husband’s plane. “That reasoning has been completely invalidated,” Gisagara said. However, he explained that the legal battle may not be over. Kanziga’s defence team retains the option of filing an appeal before France’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for reviewing legal procedure. If no such appeal is filed, the investigating judge must resume the probe and decide, based on fresh evidence, whether Kanziga should finally stand trial.
