Rwanda genocide trial opens in France
PARIS — Rwanda’s former intelligence chief faced genocide and war crimes charges Tuesday as his trial began for a 1994 killing spree that left at least a half-million people in his nation dead.
Pascal Simbikangwa, 54, could face a life sentence if convicted after the seven-week trial, the first in France over Rwanda’s genocide — two decades after the bloodshed.
The case has highlighted criticism of France’s own reaction to the slaughter of at least 500,000 people in Rwanda in just over 100 days.
The defendant, infirm from an auto accident years ago, was wheeled into a glassed-in area in the courtroom. He identified himself as “Pascal Safari,” a combination of his real name and his alias, Senyamuhara Safari, according to court documents....