Dafroza Gauthier, who dedicated decades to seeking justice for Rwandans implicated in the 1994 genocide, has died of cancer at the age of 72. She passed away on Saturday in Reims, where she had lived with her husband Alain and their three children since the 1980s.
Alongside her husband, Gauthier was instrumental in driving civil lawsuits against numerous suspected genocide perpetrators residing in France. Their efforts helped shape the French legal approach towards holding these individuals accountable under the principle of universal jurisdiction. This framework allows for the prosecution of grave crimes irrespective of where they were committed. So far, seven have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms varying from 14 years to life.
Born Dafroza Mukarumongi on 4 August 1954 in Butare, Rwanda, she faced ethnic violence from an early age. Following her family’s property being destroyed, her mother sent her and her sister to Burundi for safety. Gauthier moved to Belgium for her studies and later met Alain Gauthier, marrying him in 1977.
She returned to Rwanda in February 1994, where she witnessed rising tensions before the genocide erupted following the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana. Tragically, her mother was killed in a church in Kigali shortly after the violence started, a loss that left Gauthier with profound guilt for leaving her behind.
Their commitment to justice intensified in 2001, after attending the trial of four individuals convicted for their roles in the genocide in Belgium. This later led to the establishment of the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs for Rwanda (CPCR). They successfully identified several suspects living in France, including some known for heinous atrocities. Their most significant breakthrough came in 2014, when former Rwandan intelligence chief Pascal Simbikangwa was convicted in Paris and sentenced to 25 years for genocide.
Gauthier’s relentless pursuit of justice was not merely for revenge; she often stated that it was about ensuring accountability for those responsible for the genocide. Christophe Renzaho, president of the Rwandan Community in France, remarked on her dedication, stating, “She was a remarkable person… a person who knew no bounds when it came to bringing those who committed genocide against the Tutsis to justice.”
