Kanziga Appeals Asylum Decision

The lawyer representing Agathe Kanziga, widow of former Rwandan President, late Juvenal Habyarimana has told Contact FM they have appealed Tuesday’s decision by the prefecture of Essonne, near Paris in France that denied her asylum.

This decision was also endorsed by the Ministry of the Interior of France after the commission in charge of issuing residence had also denied her asylum.

Maitre Philip Meyak, the lawyer representing the family of Habyarimana says they will appeal this decision since it’s “political.”

On February 13, 2007, Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), an association of civil society groups based in France that advocates for the rights of Rwandan genocide survivors had lodged a complaint in a Paris court against Kanziga on charges of complicity in genocide.

Its head, Alain Gauthier said they are happy with this latest decision adding that Kanziga should not use politics as a scapegoat.

Kanziga is also the subject of an extradition request from Rwanda and is due to appear in the Appeals court of Paris on June 29 for the hearing.

Kanziga, 69, has been living in France since 1998 with her children. Rwanda on October 19, 2009 issued an international warrant of arrest for Kanziga accusing her of being a key member of the inner circle (Akazu) that planned the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.