A French appeals court has ordered the reopening of investigations into Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana over allegations linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The decision by the Paris Court of Appeal overturns an earlier ruling issued in 2025 by investigating magistrates who had dismissed the case, citing insufficient evidence to pursue charges of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity.
The renewed investigation stems from a complaint filed in 2008 by several human rights organisations, including the International Federation for Human Rights and the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda, accusing Habyarimana of helping plan or facilitate the genocide that killed between 800,000 and one million people, mainly Tutsis, between April and July 1994.
Habyarimana, who has lived in France for decades, has consistently denied all allegations against her.
The Paris appeals court ruled that judicial inquiries into allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity must continue, reopening one of the longest-running genocide-related cases in the French legal system.
Human rights groups welcomed the decision, arguing that the earlier dismissal risked denying justice to survivors and victims’ families.
In a statement, the International Federation for Human Rights said the ruling reaffirmed “the necessity of pursuing investigations in order to shed full light on the potential role of Agathe Habyarimana in crimes committed during the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.”
The organisation further noted that the passage of time should not prevent accountability for crimes of such magnitude.
The case has remained highly sensitive due to longstanding scrutiny of France’s historical role during the Rwandan genocide and allegations involving members of the former Hutu-led government’s inner circle, often referred to as the “Akazu.”
Legal observers say the latest ruling could reignite debate over France’s handling of genocide-related suspects living on its territory and its broader judicial response to international crimes.
