A French court has upheld a 25 year prison sentence for genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity to a former Rwandan intelligence agent.
Pascal Simbikangwa was originally found guilty of genocide in a 2014 trial, leading to the former presidential guard member lodging an appeal. His prosecution was the first in France over the 1994 genocide, which left around 800,000 people dead.
The decision was praised by Alain Gauthier, head of the Civil Plaintiffs Collective for Rwanda, who said the move "legitimises the fight we've been leading for 20 years without any glory".
It comes amid a fresh turn in a diplomatic row with Rwanda and France in recent weeks. Rwanda’s government were reportedly outraged at France’s decision to re-open an investigation into the 1994 downing of then president Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane. The death of the Hutu president played a role in leading to the genocide which saw ethnic Tutsis slaughtered.
In response Rwanda opened a formal investigation into 20 French officials it accuses of being involved in the genocide.
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