A Rwandan man has been convicted in the US of lying under oath about his involvement in the 1994 genocide during the trial of a former university classmate.
A federal jury in Boston found Eric Nshimiye (54) guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice charges stemming from his testimony in the 2019 immigration fraud trial of Jean Leonard Teganya, who was also accused of participating in the atrocities.
Nshimiye fled Rwanda for Kenya in 1994 and was admitted to the US as a refugee the following year.
About 800 000 people, mostly from Rwanda’s minority Tutsi community, were killed by ethnic Hutu extremists during the 100-day genocide.
Prosecutors said Nshimiye concealed his involvement in the genocide to secure entry into the country.
Evidence presented at his trial showed that, while a student at the University of Rwanda in Butare, he took part in attacks of the Tutsi people, including by striking them on the head with a club. He faces up to five years in prison for each of the four perjury counts and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice.
He is due to be sentenced on January 26, 2027. — BBC
