In a controversial decision, a 60-year-old French-Cameroonian author, Charles Onana, was found guilty by a Paris court on December 9 of “complicity in publicly contesting the existence of a crime against humanity.” The conviction follows statements in his 2019 book, “Rwanda, the truth about Operation Turquoise,” in which he challenges the idea of a planned genocide by the Hutus, calling it “one of the biggest scams of the 20th century.”
The sentence was final, with a fine of €8,400 imposed on Charles Onana, and €5,000 on his publisher, Damien Serieyx of Éditions du Toucan. In addition, they were ordered to pay €11,000 in damages to human rights organizations that brought the lawsuit.
The case stems from France’s 2017 press freedom law, which criminalizes the denial or minimization of recognized genocides. Onana’s book had drawn complaints from groups including Survie, the Human Rights League and the International Federation for Human Rights.
The 1994 Rwandan genocide, orchestrated by an extremist Hutu regime, killed 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, according to the UN.
Outside the courtroom, some of Onana’s supporters chanted slogans such as “Onana innocent” and “Kagame assassin,” referring to Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Security forces quickly dispersed the protest, ending a turbulent demonstration.
The case raises questions about freedom of expression and the place of historical debate in society. As France seeks to protect the memory of the victims of genocides, voices are being raised to defend the right to diversity of opinions and historical research. This invites reflection on the limits of freedom of expression in the face of subjects as sensitive as genocides.