High Court Chamber for International Crimes (HCCIC) in Nyanza District has sentenced Venant Rutunga to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In delivering the verdict on September 5, the court found Rutunga guilty of being an accomplice to genocide and complicity in extermination as a crime against humanity. He initially faced three charges: genocide, complicity in genocide, and extermination as a crime against humanity.

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The court convicted him as an accomplice, noting that both his admission and witness testimonies linked him to bringing gendarmes (police officers) to ISAR, the agricultural research institute where he served as regional director.

The gendarmes were involved in the killings of Tutsi who had sought refuge there, including some employees of the institution.

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Rutunga, who was the regional director of ISAR Rubona, located in the Huye District (formerly Butare Prefecture), was extradited from the Netherlands on July 26, 2021.

His substantial trial began on July 5, 2022, though he first appeared before the court on August 12, 2021, seeking bail.