France’s judiciary on Wednesday ordered resumption of a nearly two-decade investigation into Agathe Habyarimana’s alleged role in Rwanda genocide case continues.
Investigating magistrates had last year dismissed the case for insufficient evidence, but the judiciary overturned that ruling and ordered continuation.
The investigation began in France in 2007 and has since evolved through years of legal scrutiny and international attention proceedings.
Agathe Habyarimana has lived in France since 1998, while Rwanda’s repeated extradition requests have been refused without granting asylum status.
Rwanda’s 1994 genocide erupted after President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, leading to killings of around 800,000 mainly Tutsi civilians.
She fled Rwanda with French assistance just days after the crash, as the country descended into widespread organised mass violence.
She denies all allegations, insisting she was a stay-at-home mother of eight children with no involvement in political affairs whatsoever.
FIDH lawyer Patrick Baudouin hailed the decision as a victory for truth and justice against impunity after years of struggle.
Her defence lawyer Philippe Meilhac called it a dark day for French judiciary, insisting there is no evidence whatsoever proven.
French courts, acting under universal jurisdiction for grave international crimes, have convicted eight Rwandans for 1994 genocide involvement since 2014.
Case reflects ongoing struggle for accountability and legal reckoning decades after one of the twentieth century’s worst atrocities still unresolved.