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| France rejects Rwanda's Habyarimana extradition bid | France rejects Rwanda's Habyarimana extradition bid |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A French court has rejected a Rwandan bid to extradite the widow of ex-President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose killing sparked the 1994 genocide. | A French court has rejected a Rwandan bid to extradite the widow of ex-President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose killing sparked the 1994 genocide. |
| Agathe Habyarimana, 69, is accused by the Rwandan authorities of helping to plan the genocide. She denies the accusations. | Agathe Habyarimana, 69, is accused by the Rwandan authorities of helping to plan the genocide. She denies the accusations. |
| French forces flew her out of Rwanda shortly after the violence began and she has lived in France for years. | French forces flew her out of Rwanda shortly after the violence began and she has lived in France for years. |
| More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died in the massacres. | More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died in the massacres. |
| Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was killed when his plane was shot down above Kigali airport on 6 April 1994. | Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was killed when his plane was shot down above Kigali airport on 6 April 1994. |
| Within hours a campaign of violence, carried out mostly by Hutus against Tutsis, spread from the capital throughout the country. | Within hours a campaign of violence, carried out mostly by Hutus against Tutsis, spread from the capital throughout the country. |
| The Hutu militias blamed the Tutsis for downing the president's plane, although it has never been proved who was responsible. | |
| It is widely believed that Hutu extremists and the government had long planned the genocide. | It is widely believed that Hutu extremists and the government had long planned the genocide. |
| After the Paris court gave its judgement, Mrs Habyarimana told journalists: "I'm relieved, I've always had faith in the French justice system." | After the Paris court gave its judgement, Mrs Habyarimana told journalists: "I'm relieved, I've always had faith in the French justice system." |
| Mrs Habyarimana also faces a case in France's civil courts brought by rights activists. | Mrs Habyarimana also faces a case in France's civil courts brought by rights activists. |
| But her lawyer, Philippe Meilhac, said the extradition ruling would cause problems for the civil case. | But her lawyer, Philippe Meilhac, said the extradition ruling would cause problems for the civil case. |
| "We can't stay like this for ever. The very serious accusations against Mrs Habyarimana are old and completely denied by Mrs Habyarimana," he said. | "We can't stay like this for ever. The very serious accusations against Mrs Habyarimana are old and completely denied by Mrs Habyarimana," he said. |
| France and Rwanda have no extradition treaty, so each case is dealt with separately. | |
| In recent years French courts have turned down several extradition requests for genocide suspects on the basis that the individuals would not get a fair trial. | |
| Rwanda's Tutsi-led government, which seized power after the genocide, has often accused France of not doing enough to help provide justice for the victims. |