The Rwandan Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean-Damascène Bizimana, has strongly supported the Mayor of Orléans, France, for prohibiting the burial of Protais Zigiranyirazo, a key figure in the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi.
The minister’s statement came in response to Zigiranyirazo’s son, Antoine Mukiza Zigiranyirazo, who tried to portray his father as innocent, citing his acquittal by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
Dr. Bizimana clarified on his X account that the acquittal was not an affirmation of innocence but was instead due to “errors in the proceedings.” He specifically pointed to former ICTR Judge Theodor Meron, claiming Meron was known for favoring genocide suspects and that the acquittal was not in the interest of justice.
The Minister argued that the ICTR’s mandate only covered crimes committed in 1994, meaning Zigiranyirazo was never tried for extensive crimes he allegedly committed between 1990 and 1993 in the Ruhengeri prefecture (now Musanze). These earlier crimes, he noted, were well-documented by researchers and human rights organizations.
Zigiranyirazo, famously known as ‘Mr. Z’ and a member of the elite ‘Akazu’ inner circle, died in Niger on August 3, 2025. He was residing in a UN facility after being unable to find a host country following his release from the court in Arusha.
Dr. Bizimana hailed the Orléans Mayor’s decision as a necessary “humanitarian duty,” preventing the honoring of a man he called a criminal who “spilled the blood of the Tutsi.” He added that the decision aligns with the principles of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
