Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza

Rwandan politician

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June 11, 2026

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Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza was a Rwandan politician and a key figure in the Hutu extremist movement. He was a co-founder of the Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) party, which advocated for Hutu supremacy and was known for its anti-Tutsi stance.

Barayagwiza played a significant role in inciting ethnic hatred and violence in Rwanda. He was a director of the RTLM radio station, which broadcast propaganda that fueled the 1994 genocide. He was later indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for his involvement in the genocide. In 2003, he was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died in prison in 2021.12

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Rwanda genocide of 1994
ICTR
…release, on procedural grounds, of Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, a prominent genocide suspect. He had been charged with orchestrating a media campaign that urged the Hutu to kill their Tutsi neighbors. The order to release him was suspended, though, and in February 2000 the Rwandan government announced that it would resume cooperation…
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…release, on procedural grounds, of Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, a prominent genocide suspect. He had been charged with orchestrating a media campaign that urged the Hutu to kill their Tutsi neighbors. The order to release him was suspended, though, and in February 2000 the Rwandan government announced that it would resume cooperation…
Read More