A man suspected of involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide was arrested in Bierbeek, Flemish Brabant, at the end of September, according to De Standaard and Le Soir.
The suspect, identified as Jean Baptiste R., had been staying at a facility run by the Catholic congregation Brothers of Charity in Bierbeek. He was remanded in custody by the Leuven pre-trial chamber late last week.
Federal prosecutors suspect him of serious violations of international humanitarian law, in particular genocide and crimes against humanity.
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Jean Baptiste R. is considered a key figure in massacres that took place in April 1994 at the Home de la Vierge des Pauvres, a care home for people with physical disabilities in Gatagara, a village in Rwanda.
He was the institution’s director at the time and is alleged to have helped Hutu militias kill Tutsi, including men, women and children.
After living in Italy for many years, he moved to Belgium around 2023.
The federal prosecutor’s office is currently handling 37 open cases linked to the genocide against the Tutsi. Across those investigations, six suspects have so far been charged, four of whom are in pre-trial detention.
Jean Baptiste R. is the first of those suspects to be arrested in Flanders.
Belgium has already held seven trials related to the Rwandan genocide, all before the Brussels Assize Court. Those proceedings resulted in 12 convictions.
