Two investigating judges in Paris on Thursday, August 21, 2025, dismissed the long-running case against Agathe Habyarimana, widow of Rwanda’s former President Juvénal Habyarimana, citing a lack of evidence.
The ruling significantly reduces the chances of the 82-year-old facing trial for alleged complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which left about 800,000 people—mainly Tutsis and moderate Hutus—dead.
France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office announced it will appeal the dismissal, keeping the legal battle alive nearly three decades after the genocide.
The French inquiry began in 2008 following a complaint filed by the Civil Parties Collective for Rwanda (CPCR), which accused Habyarimana of conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.
However, the judges concluded that available evidence tied her only to being a victim of the April 6, 1994, plane attack that killed her husband and triggered the genocide, rather than an active participant.
The investigation had already faced setbacks. In February 2022, the case was declared closed, but prosecutors sought further hearings later that year, calling it one of the most complex cases still under review.
The latest dismissal underscores the difficulties in prosecuting high-profile figures nearly 30 years after the genocide, while survivors and advocacy groups continue to press for accountability.