The trial of Charles Onana, a 60-year-old journalist and author, who faces charges of denying and minimizing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, began in Paris on October 7. The case also involves Damien Serieyx, his publishing director at Editions du Toucan. ALSO READ: Charles Onana: An Ideological Successor to the Genocidal Regime Onana, the author of Rwanda: The Truth about Operation Turquoise, published in 2019, is accused of historical revisionism that downplays the atrocities committed during the 1994 genocide. The trial is expected to last four days, during which several witnesses, including soldiers such as General La Fourcade, who led Operation Turquoise, will testify. ALSO READ: France and genocide: the murky truth The complaint was filed by organizations including French advocacy group Association Survie. Other plaintiffs include CPCR which seeks to bring to justice individuals involved in the 1994 genocide who are living in France, and Ibuka France, an organization representing the interests of Genocide survivors, among others. Genocide researcher Tom Ndahiro has commented on Onana’s case, describing him as famous among those who seek to kill the memory of the Genocide against the Tutsi. According to Ndahiro, Onana’s denial has evolved into a sophisticated narrative that goes beyond mere revisionism. “Onana’s 2019 book, Rwanda: The Truth about Operation Turquoise, attempts to rewrite history by absolving the génocidaires and recasting them as victims within a distorted narrative,” Ndahiro said. ALSO READ: Karma finally catches up with a “clever” journalist Ndahiro also cited a critique by historian Serge Dupuis, who likened Onana’s work to a form of intellectual ‘mental hemiplegia,’ a condition where one refuses to acknowledge an entire side of the truth. “Onana’s denialism fits into a broader pattern among genocide deniers who attempt to shift the blame from the perpetrators to the victims,” Ndahiro added. “His so-called quest for ‘truth’ or ‘balance’ suggests that the widely accepted historical account is part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and its supporters. This narrative not only diminishes the suffering of the victims but also perpetuates a dangerous form of historical revisionism that undermines the moral and legal consensus established after the genocide.”
