The United States has deported a former Rwandan medical student accused of taking part in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, bringing him back to Rwanda nearly three decades after the atrocities to face prosecution over his alleged role in the killings.
Jean-Léonard Teganya, 55, was handed over to Rwandan authorities on Monday evening, November 9, after arriving at Kigali International Airport, where he was immediately arrested, according to the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA).
The prosecution authority said Teganya was indicted in 2014 over allegations that he participated in genocide and crimes against humanity in Butare, in present-day Huye District.
NPPA spokesperson Faustin Nkusi confirmed that Teganya was the eighth genocide suspect to be deported to Rwanda since 2007, noting that the country was still pursuing other individuals suspected of involvement in the 1994 atrocities.
Nkusi also clarified that Teganya had never been tried or convicted by the Gacaca courts, which were established in Rwanda to handle cases arising from the genocide.
Born in 1971 in Gatumba Sector, Ngororero District, in Rwanda's Western Province, Teganya was living in Huye District when the genocide broke out in 1994.
At the time, he was pursuing medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine of the former National University of Rwanda while undertaking an internship at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB).
During proceedings in the United States, prosecutors presented evidence alleging that Teganya had links to the Interahamwe militia and took part in killings at the hospital and a student dormitory during the genocide.
He was also accused of hiding his alleged involvement in the atrocities when seeking immigration benefits in the United States, allegations that later formed the basis of his criminal trial.
On April 5, 2019, a federal jury found Teganya guilty of two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury. He was also found to have obstructed justice after giving false testimony under oath.
On July 1, 2019, US District Judge F. Denis Saylor IV sentenced him to 97 months in federal prison in Boston, Massachusetts.
After serving his sentence, Teganya faced immigration proceedings that eventually resulted in his removal from the United States and transfer to Rwanda.
Although his American trial centred on immigration fraud, perjury and obstruction of justice rather than a direct prosecution for genocide, the proceedings examined extensive evidence relating to his alleged activities during the 1994 killings.
The NPPA welcomed his deportation, praising American judicial authorities for their cooperation and continued assistance in legal matters involving the two countries.
The authority said cooperation between Rwanda and the United States remained important in pursuing individuals accused of genocide crimes, particularly those who fled abroad in an attempt to avoid accountability.
Teganya's return marks another step in Rwanda's efforts to bring suspected genocide fugitives back to the country to answer for their alleged involvement in the 1994 atrocities.