Innocent Sagahutu



Captain Innocent Sagahutu is a former soldier of the Rwandan Armed Forces who participated in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. An ethnic Hutu, Sagahutu was born in Cyangugu Province.

Mere hours after the genocide began following the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, Sagahutu's battalion was among those who attacked the home of incumbent Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, where they proceeded to sexually assault and murder her. Sagahutu was also involved in arming and training the Interahamwe, and presumably was an active participant in the genocide, commiting multiple acts of torture, rape, and mass murder. He is also believed to have been involved in the murder of ten Belgian peacekeeper soldiers from the UN, during the early days of the genocide.

Following the conclusion of the genocide in 1994, Sagahutu fled the country. He was able to evade prosecution for six years until being arrested in Denmark on February 15, 2000.

Sagahutu was formally convincted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in May 2011. The charges included conspiring to perpetrate genocide, mass rape, sexual assault, and murder; of giving the orders that led to these crimes; and of doing nothing to stop the crimes when they took place. He was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison, but this was later reduced to 15 years via appeal. He has since been released from prison.