An Ohio man has recently been indicted on multiple charges relating to his alleged involvement in the horrific 1994 Rwandan genocide—a period stained with the blood of over 800,000 people. Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, also known as Eric Tabaro Nshimiyimana, 52, stands accused of concealing his participation in the systematic killing spree of Tutsi men, women, and children during the genocide.
Nshimiye, who had been hiding in plain sight in Uniontown, Ohio, was also charged with obstruction of justice and perjury during a 2019 Boston trial of fellow alleged Rwandan genocide perpetrator Jean Leonard Teganya, according to federal authorities. After the Rwandan president's plane was shot down over Kigali in 1994, the country catapulted into one of the worst massacres, witnessing members of the Hutu majority brutally murder around 800,000 Tutsis.
Charging documents allege Nshimiye's criminal conduct in graphic detail, claiming he used a nail-studded club to strike victims and a machete to hack them to death. The government has gone on record to say that Nshimiye seems to have taken an active part in these egregious crimes—including the murders of an underage boy and a man employed at a university hospital to sew doctor's coats—before fleeing to Kenya and ultimately deceiving U.S. officials to gain refugee status and citizenship in America.
He was arrested on March 21, 2024, and currently awaits a detention hearing on March 31. Following Nshimiye's indictment, Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy underscored the serious nature of the charges, which include up to five years in prison per count of perjury and up to 10 years for obstruction of justice, with hefty fines accompanying each sentence.
Nshimiye's indictment is a result of a collaborative investigation supported by Homeland Security Investigations in New England and Detroit, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service in Boston, and other federal and local agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. McNeil and Amanda Beck are spearheading the prosecution for this case, hoping to pierce the veil of lies that have shielded Nshimiye for decades. Despite the severity of the allegations, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
