Rwandan genocide suspect Francois Gasana extradited from Norway
Francois Gasana, 53, was extradited after being detained in Norway in 2022 on charges of murder during the genocide.
Norway has handed over a man wanted for his role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide to Rwandan authorities, marking another step in the long pursuit of justice for one of the world’s worst mass killings.
Francois Gasana, 53, was extradited after being detained in Norway in 2022 on charges of murder during the genocide.
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Gasana’s extradition followed a court ruling in Oslo that approved his transfer, with an appeal rejected and the final decision confirmed in June 2025.
Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) spokesperson Faustin Nkusi confirmed the suspect’s arrival, saying he returned “following his extraction from the Kingdom of Norway.”
He added that Gasana “was convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison by the Nyange Gacaca Court for his role in the crime of genocide.” The Gacaca courts were community-based tribunals set up after the genocide to handle cases involving perpetrators and victims in a restorative justice process.
According to Nkusi, Gasana lived in Rwanda’s Western Province during the genocide and attended Save Secondary School.
The spokesperson explained that Gasana had arranged for his lawyer, and that upon a suspect’s return, “the Gacaca rulings are declared null and a trial starts afresh.” The date for the new trial has not yet been set.
Nkusi thanked Norway for its role in the extradition, praising the country’s “extraction of genocide fugitives, continued cooperation in matters of mutual legal assistance and contribution to the global effort to fight impunity.”
The executive secretary of the genocide survivors’ group, Ibuka, Ahishakiye Naphtal, welcomed the extradition.
He described Gasana as “a young man who, due to the genocide ideology he had been fed on... committed such heinous crimes.” Naphtal urged other countries to follow Norway’s example, pointing out that many suspects remain abroad.
Norwegian officials confirmed the extradition, stating it was done “in accordance with the final decision made by the king in council on June 24, 2025.”
Norway has handled several extradition requests for genocide suspects in recent years and is among a few Western nations where courts have convicted individuals since 2009.
The 1994 genocide resulted in the deaths of approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus over 100 days after the assassination of then-Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana.
Efforts to bring all perpetrators to justice continue more than three decades later.
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