IBUKA USA strongly welcomes the arrest of Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, a former medical student from Rwanda who is accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and concealing his crimes to fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship. Nshimiye was taken into custody in March 2024 in Uniontown, Ohio by federal authorities and now faces serious charges including immigration fraud, perjury, and obstruction of justice.
For survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi—many of us now live across the United States—this arrest is a long-awaited affirmation that justice, though delayed, is still possible.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nshimiye took part in the brutal killings of Tutsi men, women, and children during the genocide, including with a nail-studded club and a machete. He is also alleged to have aided and abetted acts of sexual violence. These are not ordinary crimes—they are crimes of genocide, planned and executed with the intent to destroy a people.
What This Means for Survivors
IBUKA USA, the national voice for survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi in the United States, views this arrest as a moment of truth. For decades, survivors have lived with the trauma of losing loved ones, while many perpetrators fled justice. The fact that someone who allegedly took part in these atrocities has been living freely in the United States—working, raising a family, enjoying the rights denied to his victims—is a deep wound for survivors.
Even more painful, Nshimiye had been named in Rwanda’s Gacaca courts for his crimes in Butare. But he vanished before facing justice, leaving questions unanswered and survivors without closure. His arrest in Ohio is therefore not only a legal action—it is a moral one. It tells us that our pain has not been forgotten, and that accountability still matters.
IBUKA USA’s Position
IBUKA USA commends the U.S. Department of Justice, the Homeland Security Investigations team in Ohio and Boston, and all federal agencies involved in this case. We salute the federal authorities in Ohio for their commitment to upholding justice and for their role in ensuring that the United States does not become a sanctuary for perpetrators of genocide.
This arrest sends a powerful message: the U.S. is not a refuge for those who commit crimes against humanity and then attempt to hide behind false identities. We are especially grateful for the years of investigative work, survivor interviews, and interagency collaboration that made this arrest possible.
A Continued Call for Justice
As we mark Kwibuka 31, IBUKA USA urges the U.S. government and international partners to remain steadfast in identifying and prosecuting individuals who participated in the genocide and are now living abroad.
Justice is not only about punishment. It is about truth. It is about dignity. And it is about giving survivors the recognition we deserve after decades of silence, loss, and pain.
To read the full U.S. Department of Justice statement, click here:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/rwandan-immigrant-arrested-concealing-role-perpetrator-genocide-after-fraudulently-entering