Fulgence Kayishema, one of the fugitives sought in connection with the 1994 Rwanda genocide, appeared in court in Cape Town, South Africa, after 22 years on the run.
He is accused of taking part in one of the genocide’s deadliest moments, in which thousands of men, women, and children sought refuge in a church and were massacred.
He denied any involvement in the slaughter after being questioned by a local journalist before entering the packed courtroom, wearing a blue jacket, black trousers, and spectacles.
“All I can say is that we are sorry to hear what was going on,” he replied when asked if he had anything to say to the victims.
“There was a civil war in that time and people were killing each other… I didn’t have any role.”
Kayishema momentarily held up a prayer book labeled “Jesus First” before revealing himself to the court, flanked by armed officers wearing helmets and bulletproof vests.
As a state prosecutor read out the charges against him, the 62-year-old appeared calm and cool.
They include “genocide” and conspiracy to commit genocide “relating to the slaughter of more than 2,000 people in Rwanda in 1994,” prosecutor Nathan Adriaanse told the court.
