Former Rwandan military police officer Philippe Hategekimana has been found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity by a Paris court.
The court sentenced the 66-year-old to life in prison for his role in the mass killings during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Hategekimana fled to France after the brutal carnage and was granted refugee status, later acquiring French citizenship under the name Philippe Manier.
This trial was the fifth of its kind in France for alleged participants in the massacres. The UN estimates that more than 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi minority, were killed between April and July 1994.
Hategekimana was charged with the murder of numerous Tutsis, organizing roadblocks to facilitate the killings, and participating in attacks resulting in mass civilian casualties.
After a complaint was filed against him, Hategekimana fled to Cameroon in late 2018, but was subsequently arrested and extradited to France the following year.
Despite trying and convicting several individuals since 2014, France has generally refused to extradite suspects to Rwanda, causing tension between the two countries.
Rwanda began trying genocide suspects in 1996, and its community-based courts have successfully tried and convicted a significant number of individuals.
In addition to Rwanda, trials of suspects in the 1994 genocide continue in other countries, including South Africa and France.
Furthermore, Rwanda recently requested Malawi's assistance in apprehending 55 fugitives believed to be hiding in the country and wanted in connection with the 1994 Rwandan genocide.