The law also grants punishments to people denying genocide perpetrated against Bosnians in Srebrenica city in 1995 taking lives of more than 8,000 men and male children.

As Belgium Prime Minister, Charles Michel came to Rwanda at the beginning of April for the 25th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, he promised the law was to be passed soon.

At the time, Prime Minister Michel said that ensuring that genocide never happens again is one of the ways to respect to genocide victims.

The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG), Dr. Bizimana Jean Damascène has told IGIHE that the law comes in handy when there are some Rwandans living in Belgium involved in the denial of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

“We welcomed the decision which we have been requesting for. Belgium is one of few European countries which had no law against denial and trivialization of genocide against Tutsi. This would give room to people in the country denying and trivializing genocide using undermining words in books, public speeches, and social media and teach in school sometimes,” he said.

“I believe the law will deter people like Fillip Reytjens writing books used in universities, people like Twagiramungu denying the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi publically, associations like Jambo ASBL made of children of genocidaires supporting committed offenses and enable to bring anyone against this law to book,” added Dr. Bizimana.

The approved law is waiting for publication in the official gazette of the country to go into effect.

Belgium is home to over 40,000 Rwandans including genocide suspects.