On October 30, 2024, the same court had sentenced Dr Rwamucyo to 27 years in prison. He appealed the verdict, with the appeal hearing starting on June 9, 2026, as he maintained that he had no involvement in the crimes he is accused of committing in the former Butare Prefecture.

Dr. Rwamucyo, who headed the Centre Universitaire de Santé Publique (CUSP), a public health institution at the former National University of Rwanda, was among intellectuals who attended a meeting convened by then Prime Minister Jean Kambanda at the university.

The meeting, held on May 14, 1994, encouraged intellectuals to take part in the Genocide against the Tutsi, and Dr. Rwamucyo is accused of making a speech in support of the killings.

He is also accused of overseeing the burial of Tutsi victims killed in different parts of Butare, using equipment including a road construction machine ‘caterpillar’.

Prosecutors argue that the operation was intended to conceal evidence of the genocide. However, Dr. Rwamucyo told the court that he never attempted to hide the bodies of Tutsi victims, arguing that it was impossible to conceal killings that had taken place openly over several weeks.

He told the court that the locations where Tutsi victims were buried in Butare were known by those involved in the killings, but said he never prepared maps or reports documenting them. He said he had written documents about the burials, but they were lost when he fled Rwanda in June 1994.

On July 13, 2026, lawyer Clothilde Hazard, representing civil parties in the case, told the court that the manner in which Tutsi victims were buried under Dr. Rwamucyo’s instructions was aimed at hiding evidence of the genocide.

“What has emerged from this trial is that he identified places for excavation, bodies were placed there in any manner possible, graves were not marked even with a simple cross, and there was no dignified burial that could be described as such. Even today, these graves remain visible,” she said.

Another lawyer, Alice Zarka, said the burials supervised by Dr. Rwamucyo revealed evidence of genocide that remains visible more than three decades later.

“Today, we are seeing pits and evidence of genocide. What happened during the genocide is still visible. Evidence is still being uncovered. That is why turning a blind eye and presenting it as a matter of hygiene and sanitation, while seeking to conceal the crime and his role in leading acts that destroyed a population, is something that victims cannot understand,” she said.

On July 15, 2026, prosecutor Aude Duret told the court that Dr. Rwamucyo was an intellectual who used his knowledge to serve a government that planned and carried out the genocide, and that he fully understood the actions he was taking.

She said evidence presented during the appeal hearing, along with testimonies, showed that Dr. Rwamucyo was part of networks supporting the extremist government, including the Coalition for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), and that he made statements targeting Tutsi people.

The prosecutor also said Dr. Rwamucyo supervised the burial of more than 214,000 Tutsi victims in Butare, including some victims who were buried alive, a claim supported by testimonies from witnesses.

Following the prosecution’s submissions, Dr. Rwamucyo and his lawyers were expected to present their arguments before the Paris Assize Court. The verdict is expected during the night of July 16 to July 17, 2026.