The Court of Appeal in Paris, France, has ruled that no new investigation will be launched into genocide and crimes against humanity allegations against Agathe Habyarimana, the widow of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana.
The decision was announced on Wednesday, shortly after a closed session in which judges rejected the prosecutor’s request to proceed with a trial. However, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI), the prosecution still has the option to appeal the ruling.
Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana has been investigated by French judicial authorities since 2008 following a complaint filed by the Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR). Despite this, she has never been tried.
Earlier this week, judges stated that Agathe appears “not as a perpetrator of genocide, but rather as someone victimized by this act of terrorism.” The official ruling on whether an investigation will proceed is expected within three months, though the prosecutor may file a second appeal.
Agathe’s lawyer, Philippe Meilhac, welcomed the court’s stance, stating that the trend is toward definitively ending legal proceedings against his client. Quoted by RFI, he said:
“In this hearing, the prosecution disregarded all principles of justice by insisting on its request to prosecute her. But within minutes, the court dismissed that request… I believe we can now expect a final decision confirming no further legal action, possibly by August.”
Meilhac expressed confidence that the French judiciary will ultimately uphold her innocence, asserting that she is more a victim than a suspect in the context of the 1994 genocide.
RFI adds that if the prosecution chooses to appeal, it will have three months to submit a new request. Meanwhile, Maître Richard Gisagara, one of the lawyers representing genocide survivors in European courts, said the prosecution believes the previous investigation into Agathe’s alleged involvement was insufficient and had asked the court to allow it to continue.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gisagara emphasized that the decision announced on Wednesday “does not close” the case permanently. Just three days after her husband’s plane was shot down in April 1994, an event that marked the start of the Rwandan genocide, Agathe Habyarimana and her family were flown to Europe at the request of then-French President François Mitterrand, a close ally of Habyarimana.
France later denied her asylum request but also refused to extradite her to Rwanda, despite international arrest warrants issued by the Rwandan government. Agathe Habyarimana currently resides in France without legal immigration status, according to local media reports.
