France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) has paid tribute to Dafroza Mukarumongi Gauthier, a campaigner for justice for victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, who died on October 3. ALSO READ: Dafroza Gauthier, campaigner for justice for Genocide victims, dies at 72 In a statement dated October 7, the office said Gauthier, who died in France at the age of 72, had contributed to bringing Genocide suspects to justice through the French legal system. The office noted that Gauthier had devoted much of her life to fighting impunity for those responsible for the Genocide, which claimed more than one million lives, including members of her family. “As a co-founder of the Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), she dedicated a significant part of her life to fighting against impunity for the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,” the statement reads. The prosecutor’s office, which handles crimes against humanity and other serious offences, said Gauthier played an important role in helping French courts understand the scale of the Genocide and its impact on victims and survivors. Her contribution extended beyond collecting evidence, with the office noting that she brought the experiences of survivors into court proceedings through testimonies that combined their accounts with her own experience of the Genocide and its aftermath. “Her testimony before the Assize Court was always marked by dignity, making her a respected figure in the duty of remembrance,” the statement reads. ALSO READ: Govt mourns Dafroza Gauthier, lauds her justice campaign Together with her husband, Alain Gauthier, Dafroza co-founded CPCR in 2001, building on their efforts to pursue justice for Genocide victims. The organisation gathered testimonies from survivors and witnesses, documented evidence and submitted case files to French authorities to support prosecutions of people suspected of participating in the Genocide who had sought refuge in France. The PNAT praised Gauthier’s commitment to ensuring that genocidaires who had fled to France faced justice. “The PNAT, which has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, pays tribute to her courage, determination, and unwavering pursuit of justice,” the statement reads. “She was thus a pioneer in the fight against impunity for those responsible for the genocide against the Tutsi, dedicating her life to a race against time to gather evidence,” the statement reads. ALSO READ: Tributes pour in for justice campaigner Dafroza Gauthier The Gauthiers' work contributed to several prosecutions in France, including the case of Eugène Rwamucyo, a doctor sentenced in 2024 to 27 years in prison for complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. Their efforts also helped keep the history of the Genocide in public discussion in France, including through engagements with schools and universities aimed at countering denial. In Rwanda, their contribution was recognised in 2017 when President Paul Kagame awarded them Impeta y’Igihango, the National Order of Outstanding Friendship. Dafroza Gauthier's funeral will be held in Reims, France, on Monday, October 12.
