Finnish court denies parole for Rwandan-born man over 1994 genocide

A Rwandan-born man serving a life sentence over genocide-related crimes during the 1994 massacres in the Central African nation was denied parole by a Finnish appeals court on Friday.

Francois Bazaramba, a Hutu, was sentenced to life in 2010 for inciting attacks on Tutsis in Nyakizu, southern Rwanda. The Helsinki Court of Appeal upheld his life sentence in 2012, and he later failed in a bid to get the Finnish Supreme Court to hear his case.

Bazaramba's case was the first related to the Rwanda genocide to be tried in Finland.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal said on Friday that the crimes Bazaramba was convicted of were "of such a serious nature" that it was necessary for him to serve a longer than average life sentence. 

As grounds for his parole bid, Bazaramba, 70, cited good behaviour in prison, his age and deteriorating health as well as the many years he had already served, a court statement said.

A previous parole bid was also rejected in 2019.

Lived as a refugee

The former pastor in the Rwandan Baptist Church has lived in Finland since 2003 as a refugee. He was remanded in custody in April 2007 after background checks suggested his complicity in the genocide.

Court hearings included testimony from over 60 witnesses. Some hearings took place in Rwanda and neighbouring Tanzania.

Finland in 2009 rejected Rwanda's request to extradite Bazaramba.

In the 1994 killings in Rwanda, an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed over a 100-day period.