Dutch court jails Rwanda genocide suspect for life

A Dutch court convicted a Rwandan-born Dutch national named Eugene N. of war crimes and genocide for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the massacre of about 3,000 Tutsis at a stadium in Mbazi. The court found he prevented Tutsis from escaping, threw a grenade into the crowd, and participated in pre-stadium looting and arson, with prosecutors saying he acted with genocidal intent. He fled Rwanda for the Netherlands in 1998, later obtaining Dutch nationality, and was arrested in 2024 after a long investigation that involved interviewing witnesses in Rwanda. Prosecutors urged a life sentence, arguing the crimes warranted the maximum under Dutch law, while the defense contended he tried to prevent the genocide and was himself a victim. The verdict aligns with a broader record of Dutch and other European courts pursuing accountability under universal jurisdiction for grave international crimes. The case underscores the scale of the 1994 genocide, in which around 800,000 people were killed over about three months, mostly Tutsis.