Rwandan Genocide Perpetrator Eric Nshimiye Convicted of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

Rwandan Genocide Perpetrator Eric Nshimiye Convicted of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

by

A federal jury has convicted Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, a 54-year-old Ohio resident, on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for concealing his violent role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye spent nearly three decades living in the United States under a false identity as a refugee, hiding a history of brutal violence that included clubbing victims to death.

By masquerading as a refugee despite his participation in the genocide, Nshimiye cheated the immigration system and acted in affront to the thousands of Rwandans terrorized by the ethnic cleansing that murdered approximately 800,000 Tutsis in about 100 days.

The Web of Deception in Ohio

Nshimiye’s American life began in 1995. He entered the country as a refugee, a status reserved for those fleeing persecution. In reality, he was fleeing the consequences of his own actions. For years, he lived and worked in Ohio, building a quiet life while maintaining a strict silence about his time as a medical student at the University of Rwanda in Butare.

The evidence presented at trial painted a stark contrast between the quiet resident of Ohio and the man in Butare. Witnesses described Nshimiye as a member of the MRND (Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement), the Hutu-dominated ruling party that helped organize the genocide. He didn’t just support the party; he wore the distinctive garb of its members and frequently attended political rallies.

One witness, who was only 17 at the time, recounted seeing Nshimiye club a tailor to death at the university hospital. Other survivors testified that Nshimiye operated roadblocks, the tool used to separate Tutsis from Hutus so the former could be killed.

A Second Betrayal in a Boston Courtroom

The legal walls began to close in on Nshimiye not because of his own initial slip-up, but because of his association with another perpetrator, Jean Leonard Teganya. In 2017, the U.S. government charged Teganya with immigration fraud for concealing his own MRND membership and genocide involvement. This led to a 2019 trial in Boston.

Nshimiye didn’t just watch from the sidelines; he took the stand to protect Teganya. Under oath, Nshimiye told the federal jury that neither he nor Teganya had participated in the genocide or belonged to the MRND. While Teganya was convicted in April 2019 of immigration fraud and perjury, Nshimiye’s lies during that testimony became the foundation for the charges that led to his current conviction.

“Eric Nshimiye is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masquerading as a refugee here in the United States in an affront to the thousands of Rwandans terrorized and displaced by the genocide he violently participated in,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming of Homeland Security Investigations.

Nshimiye Lied to US Government and Jury

Nshimiye wasn’t just convicted for what he did in Rwanda; he was convicted for lying to the U.S. government and a U.S. jury.

Nshimiye Faces Prison for Perjury and Obstruction

The legal consequences for Nshimiye are now imminent. He faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of the four perjury counts and up to 10 years for the obstruction of justice charge. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge on January 26, 2027, based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), a specialized unit established in 2009 to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers hiding in the U.S.

For the victims who flew across the world to relive their most horrifying moments in a courtroom, the verdict is a form of validation. As U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley put it, the verdict ensures that Nshimiye can no longer hide behind his lies.

Keep reading

Read next