Eric Nshimiye’s request for bond was rejected by a federal magistrate in Youngtown on Friday, March 29, 2024, a week after he was arrested in Ohio on charges of hiding his involvement in the genocide that left more than a million people dead and thousands injured.

"Nshimiye is accused of lying to conceal his participation in one of the greatest human tragedies of all time," Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Michael Krol said in a statement.

"The government alleges his testimony in the defence of a convicted genocidaire was a calculated attempt to conceal the horrific crimes committed during the genocide."

Nshimiye is expected to be moved to the Boston area, where he will face the charges.

The local media reports that during the hearing of the bond application, about 25 supporters, including family and friends, showed up at the courthouse holding signs in support of the accused.

Lie under oath

Prosecutors accuse the 53-year-old of lying under oath during his 2019 testimony on the trial of Jean Leonard Teganya, who was convicted as a genocide perpetrator.

According to the prosecution, Nshimiye lied to conceal his involvement in the killings.

Court filings indicate that he participated in the killings of ethnic Tutsis by hitting the victims on the head with a nail-studded club and hacking them to death with machetes.

Nshimiye, who has denied his involvement in the genocide in the past, left Rwanda in the mid-1994. He moved to Kenya in 1995, where he is alleged to have lied to US immigration officials to enter the US.

His arrest and arraignment come ahead of the 30th commemoration of the Genocide, which began on April 7, 1994, and went on for 100 days.